il 


» 


DOUBLE    TROUBLE 


Instantly  he  was  aware  of  the  descent  upon  him  of  a  fiery 
comet  of  femininity  PaSe  24° 


DOUBLE   TROUBLE 

Or,   Every  Hero   His   Own   Villain 


By 

HERBERT   QUICK 

Author  of 

Aladdin  &  Co.. 

In  the  Fairyland  of  America 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BT 

ORSON  LOWELL 


Pervasive  Woman  !  In  our  hours  of  ease, 
Our  cloud-dispeller,  tempering  storm  to  breeze ! 
But  when  our  dual  selves  the  pot  sets  bubbling. 
Our  cares  providing,  and  our  doubles  troubling ! 
—Secret  Ritual  of  the  A.  O.  C.  M, 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT  1906 
THE  BOBBS-MEHRILL  COMPANY 

JANUARY 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGK 

I  A  SLEEP  AND  A  FORGETTING                        .        •         .  1 

II  THE  RIDDLE  OF  RAIMENT  AND  DATES        ...  10 

III  ANY  PORT  IN  A  STORM      ......  17 

IV  AN  ADVENTURE  IN  BENARES      .....  25 
V  SUBLIMINAL  ENGINEERING          .....  33 

VI  THE  JONES  PLANE  OF  MENTALITY      ....  39 

VII  ENTER  THE  LEGAL  MIND 44 

VIII  POISING  FOR  THE  PLUNGE          .....  55 

IX  IN  DARKEST  PENNSYLVANIA       .....  67 

X  THE  WRONG  HOUSE 78 

XI  THE  FIRST  BATTLE,  AND  DEFEAT       ....  90 

XII  ON  THE  FIRM  GROUND  OF  BUSINESS           .        .        .  105 

XIII  THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  STEVENS    .         .         .        .116 

XIV  THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF         ...  133 
XV  THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD         ....  165 

XVI  THE  OFFICE  GOES  IN  QUEST  OF  THE  MAN          .         •  181 

XVII  THE  HONOR  NEARS  ITS  QUARRY       ....  194 

XVIII  A  GLORIOUS  VICTORY 206 

XIX  THE  ENTRAPPING  OF  MR.  BRASSFIELD       ...  218 

XX  THE  STRAWBERRY  BLONDE        .....  233 

XXI  SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT       .         .         „  244 

XXII  A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR      .....  264 

XXIII  THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES   .  286 


The  Persons  of  the  Story: 

FLORIAN  AMIDON,  a  respectable  young  banker  of  literary  and 

artistic  tastes. 
EUGENE  BRASSFIELD,  for  a  description  of  whose  peculiarities  the 

reader  is  referred  to  the  text. 

ELIZABETH  WALDRON,  a  young  woman  just  out  of  school. 
JUDGE  BLODGETT,  an  elderly  lawyer. 
MADAME  LE  CLAIRE,  a  professional  occultist. 
PROFESSOR  BLATHEHWICK,  her  father,  a  German  scientist. 
DAISY  SCARLETT,  a  young  woman  of  fervid  complexion  and  a 

character  to  match. 
EDGINGTON  AND  Cox,  lawyers. 
ALVOHD,  a  man  about  a  small  town. 
AARON,  a  Sudanese  serving-man. 
MRS.  PUMPHREY, 
Miss  SMITH, 

DOCTOR  JULIA  BROWK,    \-   Members  of  the  elite  of  Bellevale. 
Mas.  ALVOHD, 
MRS.  MEYER, 

MRS.  HUNTER,  of  Hazelhurst. 
MR.  SLATER, 

MR.  BULLIWINKLE, 

M     S      ENS  '      romment  male  residents  of  Bellevale. 

MR.  KNAGGS, 

SHEEHAN.)    Labor  leaders. 

ZALINSKY,  ) 

CONLON,  a  contractor. 

CLERKS,  STENOGRAPHERS,  SERVANTS,  POLITICIANS,  WAITERS,  MEM- 
BERS OF  THE  A.  O.  C.  M.,  PORTERS,  AND  CITIZENS  ON  FOOT 
AND  IN  CARRIAGES. 

SCENE  :  In  Hazelhurst,  Wisconsin ;  New  York  City,  and  Bellevale, 
Pennsylvania.  [N.  B. — It  might  be  anywhere  else  in  these 
states,  east  or  west.] 

TIME  :  From  June,  1896,  to  March,  1901 — but  this  is  not  insisted 
upon. 


DOUBLE    TROUBLE 


A    SLEEP    AND    A    FORGETTING 

Deep  in  the   Well   where  blushing  hides   the    shrinking   and 

Naked  Truth, 
I  have  dived,  and  dared  to  fetch  ensnared  this  Fragment  of 

tested  Sooth ; 
And  one  of  the  purblind  Race  of  Men  peered  with  a  curious 

Eye 
Over  the  Curb  as  I  fetched  it  forth,  and  besought  me  to  drop 

that  Lie: 
But  all  ye  who  long  for  Certitude,  and  who  yearn  for  the 

Ultimate  Fact, 
Who  know  the  Truth  and  in  spite  of  Ruth  tear  piecemeal  the 

Inexact, 
Come  list  to  my  Lay  that  I  sing  to-day,  and  choose  betwixt 

him  and  me, 
And  choosing  show  that  ye  always  know  the  Lie  from  the 

Veritee ! 

—  The  Rime  of   the  Sheeted   Spoorn. 

"  Baggs,"  said  Mr.  Amidon,  "  take  things  entirely 
into  your  own  hands.     I'm  off." 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  All  right,"  said  Baggs.  "  It's  only  a  day's  run 
to  Canada;  but  in  case  I  should  prove  honest,  and 
need  to  hear  from  you,  you'll  leave  your  address  ?  " 

Mr.  Amidon  *  frowned  and  made  a  gesture  ex- 
pressive of  nervousness. 

"  No,"  said  he,  in  a  high-pitched  and  querulous 
tone.  "  No !  I  want  to  see  if  this  business  owns  me,  or 
if  I  own  it.  Why  should  you  need  to  communicate 
with  me?  Whenever  I'm  off  a  day  you  always  sign 
everything;  and  I  shall  be  gone  but  a  day  on  any 
given  date  this  time;  so  it's  only  the  usual  thing, 

*Editorial  Note:  As  reflecting  light  on  the  personal  char- 
acteristics of  Mr.  Florian  Amidon,  whose  remarkable  history  is 
the  turning-point  of  this  narrative,  we  append  a  brief  note  by 
his  college  classmate  and  lifelong  acquaintance,  the  well- 
known  Doctor  J.  Galen  Urquhart,  of  Hazelhurst,  Wisconsin. 
The  note  follows: 

"  At  the  time  when  the  following  story  opens,  Mr.  Florian 
Amidon  was  about  thirty  years  of  age.  Height,  five  feet  ten 
and  three-quarters  inches;  weight,  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  pounds.  For  general  constitutional  and  pathological 
facts,  see  Sheets  2  to  7,  inclusive,  attached  hereto.  Subject 
well  educated,  having  achieved  distinction  in  linguistic,  phi- 
lological and  literary  studies  in  his  university.  (See  Sheet 
1,  attached.)  Neurologically  considered,  family  history  of 
subject  (see  Sheets  8  and  10)  shows  nothing  abnormal,  ex- 
cept that  his  father,  a  chemist,  wrote  an  essay  opposing  the 
atomic  theory,  and  a  cousin  is  an  epileptic.  I  regard  these 
facts  as  significant.  Volitional  and  inhibitory  faculties  large- 
ly developed;  may  be  said  to  be  a  man  of  strong  will-power 
and  self-control.  The  following  facts  may  be  noted  as  pos- 

2 


A  SLEEP  AND  A  FORGETTING 

after  all.  I  shall  not  leave  any  address;  and  don't 
look  for  me  until  I  step  in  at  that  door!  Good-by." 

And  he  walked  out  of  the  bank,  went  home,  and 
began  looking  over  for  the  last  time  his  cameras, 
films,  tripods  and  the  other  paraphernalia  of  his  fad. 

"  This  habit  of  running  off  alone,  Florian,"  said 
Mrs.  Baggs,  his  sister,  housekeeper,  general  manager, 
and  the  wife  of  Baggs  —  his  confidential  clerk  and 
silent  partner  — "  gives  me  an  uneasy  feeling.  If 
you  had  only  done  as  I  wanted  you  to  do,  you'd  have 
had  some  one " 

"  Now,  Jennie,"  said  he,  "  we  have  settled  that 
question  a  dozen  times,  and  we  can't  go  over  it  again 
if  I  am  to  catch  the  4 :48  train.  Keep  your  eye  on 

sibly  symptomatic  of  neurasthenia;  fondness  for  the  poetry 
of  Whitman  and  Browning  (see  Nordau)  ;  tendency  to  dabble 
in  irregular  systems  of  medical  practice;  pronounced  nervous 
and  emotional  irritability  during  adolescence;  aversion  to 
young  women  in  society;  stubborn  clinging  to  celibacy.  In 
posture,  gait  and  general  movements,  the  following  may  be 
noted :  vivacious  in  conversation ;  possessed  of  great  mobility 
of  facial  expression;  anteroposterior  sway  marked  and  oc- 
casionally anterosinistral,  and  greatly  augmented  so  as  to 
approach  Romberg  symptom  on  closure  of  eyes,  but  nc 
ataxic  evidences  in  locomotion.  Taking  the  external  malleolus 

as  the  datum,  the  vertical  and  lateral  pedal  oscillation " 

The  editor  regrets  to  say  that  space  forbids  any  further 
incorporation  of  Doctor  Urquhart's  very  illuminating  note  at 
this  place.  It  may  appear  at  some  time  as  a  separate  essay 
or  volume. 

3 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

the  men,  and  keep  Baggs  up  in  the  collar,  and  see 
that  Wilkes  and  Ranger  get  their  just  dues.  I  must 
have  rest,  Jennie;  and  as  for  the  wife,  why,  there'll 
be  more  some  day  for  this  purely  speculative  family 

of  yours  if  we By  the  way,  there's  the  whistle 

at  Anderson's  crossing.     Good-by,  my  dear !  " 

On  the  4:48  train,  at  least  until  it  had  aged  into 
the  7:30  or  8:00,  Mr.  Florian  Amidon,  banker,  and 
most  attractive  unmarried  man  of  Hazelhurst,  was 
not  permitted  to  forget  that  his  going  away  was  an 
important  event.  The  fact  that  he  was  rich,  from 
the  viewpoint  of  the  little  mid-western  town,  unmar- 
ried and  attractive,  easily  made  his  doings  important, 
had  nothing  remarkable  followed.  But  he  had  excep- 
tional points  as  a  person  of  consequence,  aside  from 
these.  His  father  had  been  a  scholar,  and  his  mother 
so  much  of  a  grande  dame  as  to  have  old  worm-eaten 
silks  and  laces  with  histories.  The  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  always  went  to  the  Amidons  for 
ancient  toggery  for  their  eighteenth-century  cos- 
tumes—  and  checks  for  their  deficits.  The  family 
even  had  a  printed  genealogy.  Moreover,  Florian  had 
been  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  the  high  school,  had 
gone  through  the  family  alma  mater  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  been  finished  in  Germany.  Hazelhurst, 

4 


A  SLEEP  AND  A  FORGETTING 

therefore,  looked  on  him  as  a  possession,  and  thought 
it  knew  him. 

We,  however,  may  confide  to  the  world  that  Hazel- 
hurst  knew  only  his  outer  husk,  and  that  Mr.  Amidon 
was  inwardly  proud  of  his  psychological  hinterland 
whereof  his  townsmen  knew  nothing.  To  Hazelhurst 
his  celibacy  was  the  banker's  caution,  waiting  for 
something  of  value  in  the  matrimonial  market :  to  him 
it  was  a  bashful  and  palpitant  —  almost  maidenly  — 
expectancy  of  the  approach  of  some  radiant  com- 
panion of  his  soul,  like  those  which  spoke  to  him  from 
the  pages  of  his  favorite  poets. 

This  was  silly  in  a  mere  business  man!  If  found 
out  it  would  have  justified  a  run  on  the  bank. 

To  Hazelhurst  he  was  a  fixed  and  integral  part  of 
their  society :  to  himself  he  was  a  galley-slave  chained 
to  the  sweep  of  percentages,  interest-tables,  cash-bal- 
ances, and  lines  of  credit,  to  whom  there  came  daily 
the  vision  of  a  native  Arcadia  of  art,  letters  and 
travel.  It  was  good  business  to  allow  Hazelhurst  to 
harbor  its  illusions ;  it  was  excellent  pastime  and  good 
spiritual  nourishment  for  Amidon  to  harbor  his;  and 
one  can  see  how  it  may  have  been  with  some  quixotic 
sense  of  seeking  adventure  that  he  boarded  the  train. 

What  followed  was  so  extraordinary  that  every- 
5 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

thing  he  said  or  did  was  remembered,  and  the  record 
is  tolerably  complete.  He  talked  with  Simeon 
Woolaver,  one  of  his  tenants,  about  the  delinquent 
rent,  and  gave  Simeon  a  note  to  Baggs  relative  to 
taking  some  steers  in  settlement.  This  was  before 
5:17,  at  which  time  Mr.  Woolaver  got  off  at  Dux- 
bury. 

"  He  was  entirely  normal,"  said  Simeon  during 
the  course  of  his  examination  —  "  more  normal  than 
I  ever  seen  him ;  an'  figgered  the  shrink  on  them  steers 
most  correct  from  his  standp'int,  on  a  business  card 
with  a  indelible  pencil.  He  done  me  out  of  about 
eight  dollars  an'  a  half.  He  was  exceedin'ly  normal 
-up  to  5:17!" 

Mr.  Amidon  also  encountered  Mrs.  Hunter  and 
Miss  Hunter  in  the  parlor-car,  immediately  after 
leaving  Duxbury.  Miss  Hunter  was  on  her  way  to 
the  Maine  summer  resorts  with  the  Senator  Fowlers, 
to  whom  Mrs.  Hunter  was  taking  her.  Mrs.  Hunter 
noticed  nothing  peculiar  in  his  behavior,  except  the 
pointed  manner  in  which  he  passed  the  chair  by 
Minnie's  side,  and  took  the  one  by  herself.  This 
seemed  abnormal  to  Mrs.  Hunter,  whose  egotism  had 
its  center  in  her  daughter ;  but  those  who  remembered 
the  respectful  terror  with  which  he  regarded  women 

6 


A  SLEEP  AND  A  FORGETTING 

between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  thirty-five  failed  to 
see  exceptional  conduct  in  this.  His  lawyer,  Judge 
Blodgett,  with  whom  he  went  into  the  buffet  at  about 
seven,  found  him  in  conversation  with  these  two 
ladies. 

"  He  seemed  embarrassed,"  said  the  judge,  "  and 
was  blushing.  Mrs.  Hunter  was  explaining  the  new 
style  in  ladies'  figures,  and  asking  him  if  he  didn't 
think  Minnie  was  getting  much  plumper.  As  soon  as 
he  saw  me  he  yelled :  *  Hello,  Blodgett !  Come  into 
the  buffet!  I  want  to  see  you  about  some  legal  mat- 
ters.' He  excused  himself  to  the  ladies,  and  we  went 
into  the  buffet." 

"  What  legal  matters  did  he  place  before  you  ?  " 
said  his  interlocutor. 

"  Two  bottles  of  beer,"  said  the  judge,  "  and  a  box 
of  cigars.  Then  he  talked  Browning  to  me  until 
9:03,  when  he  got  off  at  Elm  Springs  Junction,  to 
take  the  Limited  north.  He  was  wrong  on  Browning, 
but  otherwise  all  right." 

It  was,  therefore,  at  9:03,  or  9:05  (for  the  en- 
gineer's report  showed  the  train  two  minutes  late  out 
of  Elm  Springs  Junction),  that  Florian  Amidon  be- 
came the  sole  occupant  of  this  remote  country  railway 
platform.  He  sat  on  a  trunkful  of  photographer's 

7 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

supplies,  with  a  suit-case  and  a  leather  bag  at  his  back. 
It  was  the  evening  of  June  twenty-seventh,  1896.  All 
about  the  lonely  station  the  trees  crowded  down  to  the 
right  of  way,  and  rustled  in  a  gentle  evening  breeze. 
Somewhere  off  in  the  wood,  his  ear  discerned  the  faint 
hoot  of  an  owl.  Across  the  track  in  a  pool  under  the 
shadow  of  the  semaphore,  he  heard  the  full  orchestra 
of  the  frogs,  and  saw  reflected  in  the  water  the  last 
exquisite  glories  of  expiring  day  lamped  by  one 
bright  star.  Leaning  back,  he  partly  closed  his  eye- 
lids, and  wondered  why  so  many  rays  came  from  the 
star  —  with  the  vague  wonder  of  drowsiness,  which 
comes  because  it  has  been  in  the  habit  of  coming  from 
one's  earliest  childhood.  The  star  divided  into  two, 
and  all  its  beams  swam  about  while  his  gaze  remained 
fixed,  and  nothing  seemed  quite  in  the  focus  of  his 
vision. 

Putting  out  his  hand,  presently,  he  touched  a 
window,  damp  with  vapor  and  very  cold.  On  the 
other  side  he  felt  a  coarse  curtain,  and  where  the 
semaphore  stood,  appeared  a  perpendicular  bar  of 
dim  light.  A  vibratory  sound  somewhere  near  made 
him  think  that  the  owls  and  frogs  had  begun  snoring. 
He  heard  horrible  hissings  and  the  distant  clangor  of 
a  bell;  and  then  all  the  platform  heaved  and  quaked 

8 


A  SLEEP  AND  A  FORGETTING 

under  him  as  if  it  were  being  dragged  off  into  the 
woods.  He  sprang  upward,  received  a  blow  upon  his 
head,  rolled  off  to  the  floor,  and 

Stood  in  the  middle  of  a  sleeping-car,  clad  only  in 
pajamas;  and  a  scholarly -looking  negro  porter 
looked  down  in  his  face,  laying  gentle  hands  upon 
him,  and  addressing  him  in  soothing  tones. 

"  Huht  yo'  haid,  Mr.  Brassfield?  Kind  o'  dreamin', 
wasn't  yo',  suh?  "  said  the  porter.  "  Bettah  tuhn  in 
again,  suh.  I'll  wake  yo'  fo'  N'Yohk.  Yo'  kin  sleep 
late  on  account  of  the  snow  holdin'  us  back.  Jes' 
lay  down,  Mr.  Brassfield;  it's  only  3:35." 

A  lady's  eye  peeped  forth  from  the  curtain  of 
a  near-by  berth,  and  vanished  instantly.  Mr.  Ami- 
don,  seeing  it,  plunged  back  into  the  shelter  from 
which  he  had  tumbled,  and  lay  there  trembling  — 
trembling,  forsooth,  because,  instead  of  summer,  it 
seemed  winter;  for  Elm  Springs  Junction,  it  ap- 
peared to  be  a  moving  train  on  some  unknown  road, 
going  God  knew  where;  and  for  Florian  Amidon,  in 
his  outing  suit,  it  had  the  appearance  of  a  somnam- 
bulistic wretch  in  his  night-clothes,  who  was  ad- 
dressed by  the  unfamiliar  porter  as  Mr.  Brassfield ! 


n 

THE  RIDDLE    OF  RAIMENT  AND   DATES 

From  his  eyne  did  the  glamour  of  Faerie  pass 
And  the  Rymour  lay  on  Eildon  grass. 
He  lay  in  the  heather  on  Eildon  Hill; 
He  gazed  on  the  dour  Scots  sky  his  fill. 
His  staff  beside  him  was  brash  with  rot; 
The  weed  grew  rank  in  his  unthatch'd  cot: 
"  Syne  gloaming  yestreen,  my  shepherd  kind, 
What  hath  happ'd  this  cot  we  ruin'd  find  ? " 
"  Syne  gloaming  yestreen,  and  years  twice  three, 
Hath  wind  and  rain  therein  made  free; 
Ye  sure  will  a  stranger  to  Eildon  be, 
And  ye  know  not  the  Rymour's  in  Faerie!  " 

—  The  Trewe  Tale  of  Trewe  Thomas. 

As  Mr.  Amidon  sensed  the  forward  movement  of 
the  train  in  which  he  so  strangely  found  himself,  he 
had  fits  of  impulse  to  leap  out  and  take  the  next  train 
back.  But,  back  where?  He  had  the  assurance  of 
his  colored  friend  and  brother  that  forward  was  New 
York.  Backward  was  the  void  conjectural.  Slowly 
the  dawn  whitened  at  the  window.  He  raised  the  cur- 
tain and  saw  the  rocks  and  fences  and  snow  of  a 
winter's  landscape  —  saw  them  with  a  shock  which, 
lying  prone  as  he  was,  gave  him  the  sensation  of 

10 


THE  RIDDLE  OF  RAIMENT  AND  DATES 

staggering.  It  was  true,  then :  the  thing  he  had  still 
suspected  as  a  nightmare  was  true.  Where  were  all 
the  weeks  of  summer  and  autumn?  And  (question  of 
some  pertinency!)  where  was  Florian  Amidon? 

He  groped  about  for  his  clothes.  They  were 
strange  in  color  and  texture,  but,  in  such  judgment  as 
he  could  form  while  dressing  in  his  berth,  they  fitted. 
He  never  could  bear  to  go  half-dressed  to  the  toilet- 
room  as  most  men  do,  and  stepped  out  of  his  berth 
fully  appareled  —  in  a  natty  business  sack-suit  of 
Scots-gray,  a  high  turn-down  collar,  fine  enamel  shoes 
and  a  rather  noticeable  tie.  Florian  Amidon  had  al- 
ways worn  a  decent  buttoned-up  frock  and  a  polka- 
dot  cravat  of  modest  blue,  which  his  haberdasher 
kept  in  stock  especially  for  him.  He  felt  as  if,  in 
getting  lost,  he  had  got  into  the  clothes  of  some  other 
man  —  and  that  other  one  of  much  less  quiet  and  old- 
fashioned  tastes  in  dress.  It  made  him  feel  as 
if  it  were  he  who  had  made  the  run  to  Canada  with 
the  bank's  funds  —  furtive,  disguised,  slinking. 

He  looked  in  the  pockets  of  the  coat  like  an  ama- 
teur pickpocket,  and  found  some  letters.  He  gazed 
at  them  askance,  turning  them  over  and  over,  won- 
dering if  he  ought  to  peep  at  their  contents.  Then 
he  put  them  back,  and  went  into  the  smoking-room, 

11 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

where,  finding  himself  alone,  he  turned  up  his  vest 
as  if  it  had  been  worn  by  somebody  else  whom  he  was 
afraid  of  disturbing,  and  looked  at  the  initials  on  the 
shirt-front.  They  were  not  "  F.  A.,"  as  they  ought 
to  have  been,  but  "  E.  B." !  He  wondered  which  of 
the  bags  were  his.  Pressing  the  button,  he  summoned 
the  porter. 

"  George,"  said  he,  "  bring  my  luggage  in  here." 

And  then  he  wondered  at  his  addressing  the  porter 
in  that  drummer-like  way  —  he  was  already  acting 
up  to  the  smart  suit  —  or  down ;  he  was  in  doubt  as 
to  which  it  was. 

The  bags,  when  produced,  showed  those  metal 
slides,  sometimes  seen,  concealing  the  owner's  name. 
Sweat  stood  on  Florian's  brow  as  he  slipped  the 
plate  back  and  found  the  name  of  Eugene  Brassfield, 
Bellevale,  Pennsylvania!  A  card-case,  his  pocket- 
book,  all  his  linen  and  his  hat  —  all  articles  of  ex- 
pensive and  gentlemanly  quality,  but  strange  to  him 
—  disclosed  the  same  name  or  initials,  none  of  them 
his  own.  In  the  valise  he  found  some  business  letter- 
heads, finely  engraved,  of  the  Brassfield  Oil  Company, 
and  Eugene  Brassfield's  name  was  there  set  forth  as 
president  and  general  manager. 

"  Great  heaven !  "  exclaimed  Florian,  "  am  I  in- 


THE  RIDDLE  OF  RAIMENT  AND  DATES 

sane?  Am  I  a  robber  and  a  murderer?  During  this 
time  which  has  dropped  out  of  my  life,  have  I 
destroyed  and  despoiled  this  gentleman,  and  —  and 
run  off  in  his  clothes  ?  I  must  denounce  myself !  " 

The  porter  came,  and,  by  way  of  denouncing  him- 
self, Mr.  Amidon  clapped  his  waistcoat  shut  and  but- 
toned it,  snapped  the  catches  of  the  bags,  and  pre- 
tended to  busy  himself  with  the  letters  in  his  pockets ; 
and  in  doing  so,  he  found  in  an  inside  vest-pocket  a 
long  thin  pocket-book  filled  with  hundred-dollar  bills, 
and  a  dainty-looking  letter.  It  was  addressed  to  Mr. 
Eugene  Brassfield,  was  unstamped,  and  marked,  "  To 
be  Read  En  Route." 

There  was  invitation,  there  was  allurement,  in  the 
very  superscription.  Clearly,  it  seemed,  he  ought 
to  open  and  examine  these  letters.  They  might  serve 
to  clear  up  this  mystery.  He  would  begin  with  this. 

"  My  darling ! "  it  began,  without  any  other  form 
of  address  —  and  was  not  this  enough,  beloved  ?  — 

"  My  own  darling !  I  write  this  so  that  you  may 
have  something  of  me,  which  you  can  see  and  touch 
and  kiss  as  you  are  borne  farther  and  farther  from 
me.  Distance  unbridged  is  such  a  terrible  thing  — 
any  long  distance;  and  more  than  our  hands  may 
reach  and  clasp  across  is  interstellar  space  to  me.  You 
said  last  night  that  all  beauty,  all  sweetness,  all 

13 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

things  delectable  and  enticing  and  fair,  all  things 
which  allure  and  enrapture,  are  so  bound  up  in  little 
me,  that  surely  the  very  giants  of  steam  and  steel 
would  be  drawn  back  to  me,  instead  of  bearing  you 
away.  Ah,  my  Eugene!  You  wondered  why  I  put 
my  hands  behind  me,  and  would  not  see  your  out- 
stretched arms !  Now  that  you  are  gone,  and  will  not 
return  for  so  long  —  until  so  near  the  day  when  I 
may  be  all  that  I  am  capable  of  becoming  to  you,  let 
me  tell  you  —  I  was  afraid ! 

"  Not  of  you,  dearest,  not  of  you  —  for  with  all 
your  ardor  of  wooing  (and  no  girl  ever  had  a  more 
perfect  lover  —  I  shall  always  thank  God  for  that 
mixture  of  Lancelot  and  Sir  Galahad  in  you  which 
makes  every  moment  in  your  presence  a  delight),  I 
always  knew  that  you  could  leave  me  like  a  sensible 
boy,  and,  while  longing  for  me,  stay  away.  But  I  — 
whom  you  have  sometimes  complained  of  a  little  for 
my  coldness  —  had  I  not  looked  above  your  eyes,  and 
put  my  hands  behind  me,  I  should  have  clung  to  you, 
dear,  I  was  afraid,  and  never  have  allowed  you  to  go 
as  you  are  now  going,  and  made  you  feel  that  I  am 
not  the  perfect  woman  that  you  describe  to  me,  as 
me.  Even  now,  I  fear  that  this  letter  will  do  me 
harm  in  your  heart;  but  all  the  lover  in  me  —  and 
girls  inherit  from  their  fathers  as  well  as  from  their 
mothers  —  cries  out  in  me  to  woo  you ;  and  you  must 
forget  this,  only  at  such  times  of  tenderness  as  you 
will  sometimes  have  while  you  are  gone,  when  one  em- 
brace would  be  worth  a  world.  Then  read  or  re- 
member this,  as  my  return-clasp  for  such  thoughts. 

"  Besides,  may  I  not,  now  that  you  are  away  from 
me,  give  you  a  glimpse  of  that  side  of  my  soul  which 

14 


THE  RIDDLE  OF  RAIMENT  AND  DATES 

a  girl  is  taught  to  hide  ?  This  was  the  '  swan's  nest 
among  the  reeds '  which  Little  Ellie  meant  to  show 
to  that  lover  who,  maybe,  never  came.  Ah,  Mrs. 
Browning  was  a  woman,  and  knew!  (Mind,  dear,  it's 
Mrs.  Browning  I  speak  of!) 

"  Sometimes,  when  the  Knight  has  come,  and  the 
wife  wishes  to  show  the  glories  of  her  soul,  '  the  wild 
swan  has  deserted,  and  a  rat  has  gnawed  the  reed.' 
Let  the  wild  and  flowery  little  pool  of  womanhood 
which  is  yours  —  yours,  dearest  —  grow  somewhat 
less  strange  to  you  than  it  would  have  been  —  last 
evening  —  so  that  when  you  see  me  again  you  will 
see  it  as  a  part  of  me,  and,  without  a  word  or  look 
from  me,  know  me,  even  more  than  you  now  do, 

"  Yours, 

"  Elizabeth." 


Florian  read  it  again  and  again.  Sometimes  he 
blushed  —  not  with  shame,  but  with  the  embarrass- 
ment of  a  girl  —  at  the  fervid  eloquence.  And  then 
he  would  feel  a  twinge  of  envy  for  this  Eugene 
Brassfield  who  could  be  to  such  a  girl  "  a  perfect 
lover." 

"  From  one  soon  to  be  a  bride,"  said  he  to  himself, 
"  to  the  man  she  loves :  it's  the  sweetest  letter  ever 
written.  I  wonder  how  long  ago  she  wrote  it! 
Here's  the  date:  7th  January,  1901.  Odd,  that  she 
should  mistake  the  year!  But  it  was  the  7th,  no 
doubt.  By  the  way,  I  don't  know  the  day  of  the  week 

15 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

or  month,  or  what  month  it  is !     Here,  boy !    Is  that 
the  morning  paper?  " 

He  seized  the  paper  feverishly,  held  it  crushed  in 
his  hand  until  the  boy  left  him,  and  then  spread  it  out, 
looking  for  the  date.  It  was  January  the  8th,  1901 ! 
The  letter  had  been  written  the  preceding  evening. 
Whatever  had  happened  to  this  man  Brassfield,  had 
occurred  within  the  past  sixteen  hours.  And,  great 
God!  where  had  Florian  Amidon  been  since  June, 
1896?  All  was  dark;  and,  in  sympathy  with  it, 
blackness  came  over  his  eyes,  and  he  rode  into  New 
York  in  a  dead  faint. 


16 


m 

ANY  PORT  IN  A  STORM 

Cosimo:    Join  us,  Ludovico!     Our  plans  are  ripe, 
Our  enterprise  as  fairly  lamped  with  promise 
As  yon  steep  headland,  based,  'tis  true,  with  cliff, 
But  crowned  with  waving  palms,  and  holding  high 
Its  beaconing  light,  as  holds  its  jewel  up, 
Your  lady's   tolling  finger!     Come,  the  stage 
Is  set,  your  cue  is  spoke. 

Ludovico:  And  all  the  lines 

Are  stranger  to  my  lips,  and  alien  quite 
To  ear  and  eye  and  mind.     I  tell  thee,  Cosimo, 
This  play  of  thine  is  one  in  which  no  man 
Should  swagger  on,  trusting  the  prompter's  voice ; 
For  mountains  tipped  with  fire  back  up  the  scene, 
Out  of  the  coppice  roars  the  tiger's  voice: 
The  lightning's  touch  is  death;  the  thunder  rends 
The  very  rocks  whereon  its  anger  lights, 
The  paths  are  mined  with  gins;  and  giants  wait 
To  slay  me  should  I  speak  with  faltering  tongue 
Their  crafty  shibboleth!     Most  dearest  coz, 
This  part  you  offer  bids  me  play  with  death ! 
I'll  none  of  it. 

—  Vision   of   Cosimo. 

"  Comin'  round  all  right,  now,  suh  ?  "  said  the 
learned-looking  porter.  "  Will  you  go  to  the  Calu- 
met House,  as  usual,  suh?  Ca'iage  waitin',  if  you 
feel  well  enough  to  move,  suh." 

17 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  I'm  quite  well,"  said  Mr.  Amidon,  though  he  did 
not  look  it,  "  and  will  go  to  the  —  what  hotel  did  you 
say?" 

"  Calumet,  suh ;  I  know  you  make  it  yo'  head- 
quahtahs  thah." 

"  Quite  right,"  said  Mr.  Amidon ;  "  of  course. 
Where's  the  carriage  and  my  grips  ?  " 

He  had  never  heard  of  the  Calumet ;  but  he  wanted, 
more  than  anything  else  then,  privacy  in  which  he 
might  collect  his  faculties  and  get  himself  in  hand, 
for  his  whole  being  was  in  something  like  chaos.  On 
the  way,  he  stopped  the  cab  several  times  to  buy 
papers.  All  showed  the  fatal  date.  He  arrived  at 
the  palatial  hotel  in  a  cab  filled  with  papers,  from 
which  his  bewildered  countenance  peered  forth  like 
that  of  a  canary-bird  in  the  nesting-season.  He  was 
scarcely  within  the  door,  when  obsequious  servants 
seized  his  luggage,  and  vied  with  one  another  for 
the  privilege  of  waiting  on  him. 

"Why,  how  do  you  do?"  said  the  clerk,  in  a 
manner  eloquent  of  delighted  recognition.  "  Your 
old  room,  I  suppose?" 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,"  said  Mr.  Amidon. 

The  clerk  whirled  the  register  around,  and  point- 
ing with  his  pen,  said : 

18 


ANY  PORT  IN  A  STORM 

"  Right  there,  Mr.  Brassfield." 

Mr.  Amidon's  pen  stopped  midway  in  the  down- 
ward stroke  of  a  capital  F. 

"I  think,"  said  he,  "that  I'll  not  register  at 
present.  Let  me  have  checks  for  my  luggage,  please 
—  I  may  not  stay  more  than  an  hour  or  so." 

"  As  you  please,"  said  the  clerk.  "  But  the  room 
is  entirely  at  your  service,  always,  you  know.  Here 
are  some  telegrams,  sir.  Came  this  morning." 

He  took  and  eyed  the  yellow  envelopes  with  "  E. 
Brassfield "  scrawled  on  them,  as  if  they  had  been 
infernal  machines ;  but  he  made  no  movement  toward 
opening  them.  Something  in  the  clerk's  look  admon- 
ished him  that  his  own  was  extraordinary.  He  felt- 
that  he  must  seek  solitude.  To  be  called  by  this  new 
and  strange  name;  to  have  thrust  on  him  the  act- 
ing of  a  part  in  which  he  knew  none  of  the  lines  and 
dared  not  refuse  the  character;  and  all  these  circum- 
stances made  dark  and  sinister  by  the  mysterious 
maladjustment  of  time  and  place;  the  possession  of 
another  man's  property ;  the  haunting  fear  that  in  it 
somewhere  were  crime  and  peril  —  these  things,  he 
thought,  would  drive  him  out  of  his  senses,  unless  he 
could  be  alone. 

"  I  think  I'll  take  the  room,"  said  he. 
19 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  If  any  one  calls?"  queried  the  clerk. 

"  I'm  not  in,"  said  Amidon,  gathering  up  the  tele- 
grams. "  I  do  not  wish  to  be  disturbed  on  any  ac- 
count." 

Five  years !  What  did  it  mean  ?  There  must  be 
some  mistake.  But  the  break  in  the  endless  chain  of 
time,  the  change  from  summer  to  winter,  and  from 
the  dropping  to  sleep  at  Elm  Springs  Junction  to  the 
awakening  in  the  car  —  there  could  be  no  mistake 
about  these.  He  sat  in  the  room  to  which  he  had  been 
shown,  buried  in  the  immense  pile  in  the  strange  city, 
as  quiet  as  a  heron  in  a  pool,  perhaps  the  most  soli- 
tary man  on  earth,  these  thoughts  running  in  a  be- 
wildering circle  through  his  mind.  The  dates  of  the 
papers  —  might  they  not  have  been  changed  by  some 
silly  trick  of  new  journalism,  some  straining  for  effect, 
like  the  agreement  of  all  the  people  in  the  world  (as 
fancied  by  Doctor  Holmes)  to  say  "Boo!"  all  at 
once  to  the  moon?  He  ran  his  eyes  over  the  news 
columns  and  found  them  full  of  matter  which  was 
real  news,  indeed,  to  him.  President  Kruger  was 
reported  as  about  to  visit  President  McKinley  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  mediation  in  some  South 
African  war;  and  Senator  Lodge  had  made  a  speech 
asking  for  an  army  of  one  hundred  thousand  men  in, 

20  , 


ANY  PORT  IN  A  STORM 

of  all  places,  the  Philippine  Islands.  The  twentieth 
century,  and  with  it  some  wonderful  events,  had  stolen 
on  him  as  he  slept  —  if,  indeed,  he  had  slept  — 
there  could  be  no  doubt  of  that. 

He  found  his  hands  trembling  again,  and,  fearing 
another  collapse,  threw  himself  upon  the  bed.  Then, 
as  drowsiness  stole  on  him,  he  thought  of  the  five 
years  gone  since  last  he  had  yielded  to  that  feeling, 
and  started  up,  afraid  to  sleep.  He  saw  lying  on  the 
table  the  unopened  telegrams,  and  tore  them  open. 
Some  referred  to  sales  of  oil,  and  other  business 
transactions ;  one  was  to  inform  Brassfield  that  a  man 
named  Alvord  would  not  meet  him  in  New  York  as 
promised,  and  one  was  in  cipher,  and  signed 
"  Stevens." 

He  took  from  his  pocket  the  letters  of  Brassfield, 
and  read  them.  One  or  two  were  invitations  to  social 
functions  in  Bellevale.  One  was  a  bill  for  dues  in  a 
boating-club;  another  contained  the  tabulated  pedi- 
gree of  a  horse  owned  in  Kentucky.  A  very  brief 
one  was  in  the  same  handwriting  as  the  missive  he 
had  first  read,  was  signed  "  E.  W.,"  and  merely  said 
that  she  would  be  at  home  in  the  evening.  But  most 
of  them  related  to  the  business  of  the  Brassfield  Oil 
Company,  and  referred  to  transactions  in  oil. 

21 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

He  lay  back  on  the  bed  again,  and  thought, 
thought,  thought,  beginning  with  the  furthest  stretch 
of  memory,  and  coming  down  carefully  and  consecu- 
tively —  to  the  yawning  chasm  which  had  opened  in 
his  life  and  swallowed  up  five  years.  Time  and  again, 
he  worked  down  to  this  abyss,  and  was  forced  to  stop. 
He  had  heard  of  loss  of  memory  from  illness,  but 
this  was  nothing  of  the  sort.  He  had  been  tired  and 
nervous  that  night  at  Elm  Springs  Junction,  but  not 
ill ;  and  now  he  was  in  robust  health.  Perhaps  some 
great  fit  of  passion  had  torn  that  obliterating  furrow 
through  his  mind.  Perhaps  in  those  five  years  he  had 
become  changed  from  the  man  of  strict  integrity  who 
had  so  well  managed  the  Hazelhurst  Bank,  into  the 
monster  who  had  robbed  Eugene  Brassfield  of  —  his 
clothes,  his  property,  the  most  dearly  personal  of  his 
possessions  —  these,  certainly  ( for  Amidon  knew  the 
rule  of  evidence  which  brands  as  a  thief  the  possessor 
of  stolen  goods);  and  who  could  tell  of  what  else? 
Letters,  bags,  purses,  money  —  these  any  vulgar 
criminal  might  have,  and  bear  no  deeper  guilt  than 
that  of  theft;  but,  the  clothes!  Mr.  Amidon  shud- 
dered as  his  logic  carried  him  on  from  deduction  to 
deduction  —  to  murder,  and  the  ghastly  putting 
away  of  murder's  fruit.  Imagination  threw  its  lime- 

22 


ANY  PORT  IN  A  STORM 

light  over  the  horrid  scene  —  the  deep  pool  or  tarn 
sending  up  oilily  its  bubbles  of  accusation ;  the 
shadowy  wood  with  its  bulging  mound  of  earth  and 
leaves  swept  by  revealing  rains  and  winds;  the 
moldy  vat  of  corrosive  liquid  eating  away  the 
damning  evidence;  the  box  with  its  accursed  stains, 
shipped  anywhere  away  from  the  fatal  spot,  by  boat 
or  ship,  to  be  relentlessly  traced  back  —  and  he 
shivered  in  fearful  wonder  as  to  how  the  crime  had 
been  committed.  In  some  way,  he  felt  sure,  Eugene 
Brassfield's  body  must  have  been  removed  from  those 
natty  clothes  of  his,  before  Florian  Amidon  could 
have  put  them  on,  and  with  them  donned  the  per- 
sonality of  their  former  owner. 

And  here  entered  a  mystery  deeper  still  —  the 
strange  deception  he  seemed  to  impose  on  the  dead 
man's  acquaintances.  And  this  filled  him,  somehow, 
with  the  most  abj  ect  dread  and  fear.  Brassfield  seemed 
to  have  been  a  well-known  man ;  for  porters  and  clerks 
in  New  York  do  not  call  the  obscure  countryman  by 
name.  To  step  out  on  the  street  was,  perhaps,  to 
run  into  the  very  arms  of  some  one  who  would  pene- 
trate the  disguise.  Yet  he  could  not  long  remain  in 
this  room ;  his  very  retirement  —  any  extraordinary 
behavior  (and  how  did  he  know  Brassfield's  ordinary 

23 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

courses  ? )  —  would  soon  advertise  his  presence. 
Amidon  walked  to  the  window  and  peered  down  into 
the  street.  His  eyes  traveled  to  the  opposite  windows, 
and  finally  in  the  blind  stare  of  absent-mindedness 
became  fixed  on  a  gold-and-black  sign  which  he  be- 
gan stupidly  spelling  out,  over  and  over.  "  Madame 
le  Claire,"  it  read,  "  Clairvoyant  and  Occultist."  Not 
an  idea  was  associated  in  his  mind  with  the  sign  until 
the  word  "  mystery,"  "  mystery,"  began  sounding  in 
his  ears  —  naturally  enough,  one  would  say,  in  the 
circumstances.  Then  the  letters  of  the  word  floated 
before  his  eyes;  and  finally  he  consciously  saw  the 
full  sign  stretching  across  two  windows :  "  Madame 
le  Claire,  Clairvoyant  and  Occultist.  All  Mysteries 
Solved." 

Florian  stared  at  this  sign,  until  he  became  con- 
scious of  deep  weariness  at  so  long  standing  on 
his  feet.  Then  he  saw,  blossoming,  the  multiplying 
lights  of  an  early  winter's  dusk  —  so  numbly  had  the 
time  slipped  by.  And  in  the  gruesome  close  of  this 
dreadful  day,  the  desperate  and  perplexed  man  stole 
timidly  down  the  stairways  —  avoiding  the  elevator 
—  and  across  the  street  to  the  place  of  the 
occultist. 


IV 

AN  ADVENTURE  IN  BENARES 

The  silly  world  shrieks  madly  after  Fact, 

Thinking,  forsooth,  to  find  therein  the  Truth; 

But  we,  my  love,  will  leave  our  brains  unracked, 

And  glean  our  learning  from  these  dreams  of  youth : 

Should  any  charge  us  with  a  childish  act 

And  bid  us  track  out  knowledge  like  a  sleuth, 

We'll  lightly  laugh  to  scorn  the  wraiths  of  History, 

And,  hand  in  hand,  seek  certitude  in  Mystery. 

—  When  the  Halcyon  Broods. 

The  house  of  the  occultist  was  one  of  a  long 
row,  all  alike,  which  reminds  the  observer  of  an  exer- 
cise in  perspective,  as  one  glances  down  the  stretch  of 
balustraded  piazzas.  Amidon  walked  straight  across 
the  street  from  the  hotel,  and  counted  the  flights  of 
stairs  up  to  the  fourth  floor.  There  was  no  elevator. 
The  denizens  of  the  place  gave  him  a  vague  impres- 
sion of  being  engaged  in  the  fine  arts.  A  glimpse  of 
an  interior  hung  with  Navajo  blankets,  Pueblo  pot- 
tery, Dakota  beadwork,  and  barbaric  arms ;  the  sound 
of  a  soprano  practising  Marchesi  exercises ;  an  easel 

seen  through  an  open  door  and  flanked  by  a  Grand 

25 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Rapids  folding-bed  with  a  plaster  bust  atop;  and  a 
pervasive  scent  of  cigarettes,  accounted  for,  and  may 
or  may  not  have  justified,  the  impression.  On  the 
fourth  floor  the  scent  shaded  off  toward  sandal  wood, 
the  sounds  toward  silence,  Bohemia  toward  Benares. 
He  walked  in  twilight,  on  inch-deep  nap,  to  a  door 
on  which  glowed  in  soft,  purple,  self-emitted  radi- 
ance, the  words: 


MADAME  LE  CLAIRE 
ENTER 


The  invitation  was  plain,  and  he  opened  the  door. 
As  he  did  so,  the  deep,  mellow  note  of  a  gong  filled 
the  place  with  a  gentle  alarum.  It  was  sound  with 
noise  eliminated,  and  matched,  to  the  ear,  the  velvet 
of  the  carpet. 

The  room  into  which  he  looked  was  dark,  save  for 
light  reflected  from  a  marble  ball  set  in  a  high  recess 
in  the  ceiling.  None  of  the  lamps,  whose  rays  illu- 
minated the  ball,  could  be  seen,  and  the  white  globe 
itself  was  hung  so  high  in  the  recess  that  none  of  its 
direct  rays  reached  the  corners  of  the  apartment. 
A  Persian  rug  lay  in  the  center,  and  took  the  fullest 
light.  There  were  no  sharp  edges  of  shadow,  but 

26 


AN  ADVENTURE  IN  BENARES 

instead  there  was  a  softly  graduated  penumbra,  deep- 
ening into  murk.  Straight  across  was  a  doorway 
with  a  portiere,  beyond  was  another,  and  still  far- 
ther, a  third,  all  made  visible  in  silhouette  by  the 
light  in  a  fourth  room,  seen  as  at  the  end  of  a  tun- 
nel. 

Across  this  gossamer-barred  arch  of  light,  a  black 
figure  was  projected,  and  swelled  as  it  neared  in  silent 
approach.  It  came  through  the  last  portiere,  on  into 
the  circle  of  light,  and  stood,  a  turbaned  negro,  bow- 
ing low  toward  the  visitor. 

"  Madame  le  Claire,"  said  Amidon  feebly,  "  may 
I  speak  with  her  ?  " 

There  was  no  reply,  unless  a  respectful  scrutiny 
might  be  taken  for  one.  Then  the  dumb  Sudanese, 
carrying  with  him  the  atmosphere  of  a  Bedouin  tent, 
disappeared,  lingered,  reappeared,  and  beckoned 
Amidon  to  follow.  As  they  passed  the  first  portiere, 
that  mellow  and  gentle  gong-note  welled  softly  again 
from  some  remote  distance.  At  the  second  archway, 
it  sounded  nearer,  if  not  louder.  At  the  third,  as 
Amidon  stepped  into  the  lighted  room,  it  filled  the 
air  with  a  golden  vibrancy.  It  was  as  if  invisible 
ministers  had  gone  before  to  announce  him. 

Amidon  took  one  long  look  at  the  scene  in  the 
27 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

fourth  room,  and  a  great  wave  of  unbelief  rolled 
across  his  mind.  Through  this  long  day  of  shocks 
and  surprises,  he  had  reached  that  stage  of  amazed- 
ness  where  the  evidential  value  of  sensory  impres- 
sions is  destroyed.  He  covered  his  eyes  with  his 
hands,  expecting  that  the  phantasms  before  him 
might  pass  with  vision,  and  that  with  vision's  return 
might  come  the  dear,  familiar  commonplaces  of  his 
commonplace  life. 

The  room  seemed  to  have  no  windows,  and  the  roar 
of  the  New  York  street  outside  was  gone,  or  faint 
as  the  hum  of  a  hive.  The  walls  were  hung  with 
fabrics  of  wool  or  silk,  in  dull  greens  and  reds,  and 
the  floor  was  spread  with  rugs.  With  mouth  redly 
ravening  at  him,  and  eyes  emitting  opalescent  gleams, 
lay  a  great  tiger-skin  rug,  upon  which,  on  a  kind  of 
dais,  sat  a  woman  —  a  woman  whose  eyes  sought  his 
in  a  steady  regard  which  flashed  a  thrill  through  his 
whole  body  as  he  gazed.  For  she  seemed  to  emanate 
from  the  tiger-skin,  as  a  butterfly  from  the  chrysalis. 

Her  dress  was  of  some  combination  of  black  and 
yellow  which  carried  upward  the  tones  of  the  great 
rug.  Her  bare  arms  —  long,  and  tapering  to  lithe 
wrists  and  hands  —  were  clasped  by  dull-gold  brace- 
lets of  twisted  serpents.  Over  shapely  shoulders,  the 

28 


AN  ADVENTURE  IN  BENARES 

flesh  of  which  looked  white  and  young,  there  was 
thrown  a  wrap  like  feathery  snow,  from  under  which 
drooped  down  over  the  girlish  bosom  a  necklace  that 
seemed  of  pearl.  The  face  was  fair,  its  pallor  tinged 
with  red  at  lips,  and  rose  on  cheeks.  The  eyes,  lumi- 
nous and  steady,  shone  out  through  heavy  dark 
lashes,  from  under  brows  of  black,  and  seemed,  at 
that  first  glance,  of  oriental  darkness.  A  great  mass 
of  dark-brown  hair  encircled  the  rather  small  face, 
and  even  in  his  first  look,  he  noted  at  the  temples  twin 
strands  of  golden-blond  which,  carried  out  like  rays 
in  the  fluffy  halo  about  her  brow,  reappeared  in  all 
the  twistings  and  turnings  of  the  involved  pile  which 
crowned  the  graceful  head.  The  yellow-and-black 
of  the  tiger  appeared  thus,  from  head  to  foot.  It 
was  afterward  that  he  found  out  something  of  the 
secret  of  the  peculiar  fascination  in  the  great  dark 
eyes.  One  of  them  was  gray,  with  that  greenish 
tinge  which  has  been  regarded  as  the  token  of  genius. 
The  other  was  of  a  mottled  golden-brown,  with  lights 
like  those  in  the  tiger's  eye.  In  both,  in  any  but 
strong  light,  the  velvet-black  pupils  spread  out,  and 
pushed  the  iris  back  to  a  thin  margin ;  and  thus  they 
varied,  from  gray  or  brown,  to  that  liquid  night, 
which  Amidon  now  saw  in  them,  as  he  stepped  within 

29 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

the  doorway,  and  looked  so  long  on  her,  as  she  sat 
like  a  model  for  the  Queen  of  the  Jungle,  that  under 
other  circumstances  the  gaze  would  have  seemed  rude. 
Some  sense  of  this,  breaking  through  his  bewilder- 
ment, made  him  bow. 

"Madame  le  Claire?"  said  he. 

"  The  same,"  said  she.  "  How  can  I  serve  you, 
sir?  " 

The  voice,  a  soft  contralto,  was  the  complement  of 
the  steady  regard  of  the  eyes.  As  she  spoke,  she 
rose  and  stepped  toward  him,  down  from  the  little 
dais  to  the  rug.  She  rose,  not  with  the  effort  which 
marks  the  act  in  most,  but  lightly,  as  a  flower  rises 
from  the  touch  of  a  breeze.  She  was  tall  and  lithe, 
and  all  the  curves  of  her  figure  were  long  and  low  — 
once  more  suggesting  the  soft  strength  of  the  tigress. 
But  when  speech  parted  the  lips,  the  smile  which  over- 
spread her  face  won  him. 

"  How  can  I  serve  you,  my  friend  ?  "  she  repeated. 

"  I  am  in  great  trouble,"  said  he. 

"  Yes,"  she  purred. 

"  I  saw  your  sign,"  he  went  on.  "  And  I  want 
you  to  tell  me  where  I  have  been  since  June,  1896  — 
and  who  is  Eugene  Brassfield?  Did  I  kill  him  —  or 
only  rob  him?  And  who  is  Elizabeth?  " 

30 


AN  ADVENTURE  IN  BENARES 

She  had  stepped  close  to  him  now,  as  if  to  catch 
the  scent  of  some  disturbing  influence  which  might  ac- 
count for  such  incoherence;  but  Amidon's  breath  was 
innocent  of  taint. 

"  Yes ! "  said  she,  "  I  think  we  shall  be  able  to  tell 
you  all.  But,  are  you  well?  " 

"  I  have  had  no  breakfast,"  said  he.  "  When  I 
found  that  I  had  lost  five  years  —  I  forgot.  And 
—  once  —  I  fainted.  I'm  not  quite  —  well,  I'm 
afraid!" 

Madame  le  Claire  stepped  to  the  wall  and  pushed 
a  button.  The  turbaned  Sudanese  reappeared  at 
once. 

"  Aaron,"  said  she,  "  tell  Professor  Blatherwick 
that  Mr.— Mr. " 

"  Amidon,"  said  Florian  hastily  — "  Amidon  is  my 
name." 

"  —  Amidon  will  dine  with  us,"  Madame  le  Clair 
continued  smoothly.  "  He  has  some  very  interesting 
things  for  us  to  look  into.  And  have  dinner  served  at 
once." 

Aaron!  and  dinner!  and  Blatherwick!  The  deli- 
cious vulgarity  of  the  names  was  sweet  music.  For 
be  it  remembered  that  Florian  was  a  banker,  and  a 
man  of  position ;  and  sandalwood,  Sudanese,  Bedouins 

31 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

and  illusions  were  ill  for  the  green  wound  of  his  mys- 
tery —  which,  in  all  conscience,  was  bad  enough  in 
and  of  itself!  Some  confidence  in  the  realities  of 
things  returned  to  him,  but  he  followed  Madame  le 
Claire  like  a  faithful  hound. 


SUBLIMINAL    ENGINEERING 

Now,  Red-Neck  Johnson's  right  hand  never  knew  his  left 
hand's  game; 

And  most  diverse  were  the  meanings  of  the  gestures  of  the 
same. 

For,  benedictions  to  send  forth,  his  left  hand  seemed  to 
strive, 

While  his  right  hand  rested  lightly  on  his  ready  forty-five. 

"  Mr.  Chairman  and  Committee,"  Mr.  Johnson  said,  said  he, 

"  It  is  true,  I'm  tangled  up  some  with  this  person's  property ; 

It  is  true  that  growin'  out  therefrom  and  therewith  to 
arrive, 

Was  some  most  egregious  shootin'  with  this  harmless  forty- 
five: 

But  list  to  my  defense,  and  weep  for  my  disease,"  said  he; 

"  I  am  double,"  half -sobbed  Red-Neck,  "  in  my  personality !  " 
—  The  Affliction  of  Red-Neck  Johnson. 

Madame  le  Claire  led  Mr.  Amidon  to  the  next 
room,  turned  him  over  to  Aaron  (now  wonderfully 
healed  of  his  dumbness)  with  a  gesture  of  dismissal; 
and  he  was  ushered  by  the  negro  into  a  most  modern- 
looking  chamber,  in  which  was  a  brass  bedstead  with 
a  snowy  counterpane. 

"  Dinner  will  be  suhved  in  ten  minutes,  suh,"  said 
Aaron. 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

They  were  waiting  for  him  in  the  little  dining- 
room,  when  he  was  wafted  through  the  door  by 
Aaron's  obsequious  bow.  The  tigrine  Le  Claire  ad- 
vanced from  a  bay-window,  bringing  a  slender  man 
with  stooped  shoulders. 

"  Papa,"  she  said,  "  this  is  Mr.  Amidon,  whom  I 
have  induced  to  dine  with  us ;  Mr.  Amidon,  Professor 
Blatherwick." 

Professor  Blatherwick  was  bent,  and  much 
bleached,  faded  and  wrinkled.  His  eyes  seemed  both 
enormous  in  size  and  sunk  almost  to  his  occiput,  by 
reason  of  being  seen  through  the  thickest  of  glasses. 
His  lank,  grayish  hair,  of  no  particular  color,  but 
resembling  autumnal  roadside  grasses,  hung  thinly 
from  a  high  and  asymmetrical  head,  and  straggled 
dejectedly  down  into  a  wisp  of  beard  on  chin  and  lip 
—  a  beard  which  any  absent-minded  man  might  well 
be  supposed  to  have  failed  to  observe,  and  therefore 
to  have  neglected  to  shave.  When  Madame  le  Claire 
stopped  in  leading  him  forward,  he  halted,  and  feel- 
ing blindly  forward  into  the  air  as  if  for  Amidon's 
hand,  though  quite  ten  feet  from  him,  he  murmured : 

"  I  am  bleaced  to  meet  you,  sir." 

"Evidently  German,"  thought  Amidon. 

"  I  understandt,"  said  the  professor,  opening  the 
34 


SUBLIMINAL  ENGINEERING 

conversation,  as  Madame  le  Claire  poured  the  tea, 
"  that  you  haf  hadt  some  interesding  experiences  in 
te  realm  of  te  supliminal." 

Amidon's  tension  of  mind,  which  had  left  him 
under  the  compulsion  of  the  woman's  mastery  of  him, 
returned  at  the  professor's  remark. 

"  I  have  been  dead,"  said  he,  "  since  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  June,  1896 !  " 

Madame  le  Claire  stared  at  him  in  unconcealed 
amazement.  The  professor  calmly  dipped  toast  in 
his  tea. 

"  So !  "  said  he.  "  Fife  years.  Goot !  Dis  case 
vill  estaplish  some  important  brinciples.  Vill  you 
be  so  kindt  as  to  dell  us  te  saircumstances?  " 

"  Oh,  papa ! "  broke  in  the  lady.  "  You  must 
wait  until  after  dinner.  I  saw  Mr.  Amidon  was 
weak  and  disturbed,  and,  I  thought  —  hungry.  So 
I  asked  him  to  stay." 

"  I  have  eaten  nothing  but  this,"  said  Mr.  Amidon, 
"since  June  twenty-seventh,  1896 ' 

"  So,"  said  the  professor  calmly.  "  Dis  vill  brofe 
an  important  case." 

"  I  saw  the  sign,"  said  Amidon,  "  '  All  Mysteries 
Solved,'  and  I  came  here " 

"  De  sign,"  said  the  professor,  "  iss  our  goncession 
35 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

to  te  spirit  of  gommercialism,  and  te  gompetitife  sys- 
tem. It  vas  Clara's  itea.  But  some  mysteries  ve  do 
not  attempt.  In  te  realm  of  te  supliminal,  howefer, 
ve  go  up  against  almost  any  broposition.  I  am 
Cheneral  Superintendent  of  Supliminal  Enchineer- 
ing ;  Clara  is  te  executant.  I  make  blance,  and  Clara 
does  as  she  bleaces  aboudt  following  dem.  You  vill, 
at  your  gonfenience,  dell  us  all  you  can  of  your  case. 
I  vill  analyze,  glassify,  and  tiagnose;  she  vill  un- 
rafel." 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  the  professor  was 
through  with  his  diagnosis.  He  made  copious  notes 
of  Amidon's  story.  Several  times  his  daughter  called 
him  away  from  some  book  in  which  he  had  lost  him- 
self while  on  an  excursion  in  search  of  parallel  cases. 
At  last  he  paused,  his  face  expressing  the  triumph  of 
a  naturalist  at  the  discovery  of  a  new  beetle. 

"  You  are  not  in  te  least  insane ! "  said  he,  with 
the  air  of  telling  Florian  something  hard  to  believe ; 
"  ant  you  haf  none  of  te  stigmata  of  techeneration. 
I  vould  say  that  you  are  not  a  griminal  —  not  much 
of  a  griminal  anyhow,  ant  bropaply  not  at  all !  " 

"  Thank  you !  Oh,  thank  you ! "  fervently  ex- 
claimed Amidon. 

"  It  iss  a  case,"  went  on  the  professor,  "  of  dual 
36 


SUBLIMINAL  ENGINEERING 

pairsonality.  For  fife  years  you  haf  bropaply  been 
absent  from  Hazelhurst.  You  haf  been  someveres !  " 

"  Where,  where?  "  cried  Amidon. 

"  Do  not  fear,"  said  Madame  le  Claire,  laying  her 
hand  on  his  arm.  "  If  it  is  a  case  of  dual  person- 
ality, we  shall  soon  find  out  all  about  it.  You  have 
mysteriously  disappeared.  Many  men  do.  There 
was  Lieutenant  Rogers,  of  the  navy ;  and  Ansel 
Burns,  of  Ohio,  who  woke  up  in  Kentucky  in  his  own 
store,  under  the  name  of  Brooks  —  Brooks'  store, 
you  know." 

"  And  Ellis,  of  Bergen,"  said  the  professor,  "  who 
vas  lost  for  a  year,  ant  tiscofered  himself  in  te  pair- 
son  of  a  cook  in  a  lumber-gamp  in  Minnesota,  unter 
te  name  of  Chamison.  Oh,  dere  are  many  such!  Te 
supchectife  mind,  te  operations  of  vich  are  normally 
below  te  threshold  of  gonsciousness,  suddenly  dakes 
gontrol.  Pouf !  you  are  anodder  man !  You  haf  been 
Smidt ;  you  are  now  Chones.  As  Chones  you  remem- 
ber notting  of  Smidt.  You  go  on,  guided  by  in- 
stinct, ant  te  preacquired  semi-intellichence  of  auto- 
hypnotismus " 

"  Oh,  papa !  "  said  the  tiger-lady,  "  those  are  aw- 
ful words  —  for  a  sick  man !  " 

"  Veil,"  resumed  Blatherwick,  dropping  into  what 
37 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

he  regarded  as  the  vernacular,  "  you  go  on  as  Chones, 
all  right  all  right.  Some  day,  someveres  —  in  dis 
case  in  a  sleeping-car  —  you  vake  as  Smidt  again. 
You  now  do  not  remember  Chones  or  te  Chones  life. 
You  are  all  vorked  up  —  vat  you  call  it  —  flabber- 
gasted. You  come  to  Madame  le  Claire.  Vat  does 
she  do?  She  calls  te  supchectife  mind  up  abofe  te 
threshold  of  gonsciousness,  ant  you  are  restored  to  te 
Chones  blane  of  mentality.  Hypnotismus,  hypnotis- 
mus :  that  is  vat  does  it ! " 

"  And  shall  I  stay  —  Jones?  " 

"  No,  no ! "  said  Madame  le  Claire.  "  I  will  re- 
store you.  But  while  you  are  —  Jones  —  I  shall 
find  out  all  you  want  to  know  about  the  —  Jones  — 
life,  and  I  will  tell  you  when  you  become  yourself 
again.  You  will  learn  all  about  Bellevale,  and  Brass- 
field,  and " 

"  And  Elizabeth  ?  "  asked  Amidon. 

Madame  le  Claire  paused. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  with  much  less  cordiality,  "  I  sup- 
pose so,  if  you  want  to  know  —  about  Elizabeth." 


38 


VI 

THE  JONES  PLANE  OF  MENTALITY 

My  lady's  eyes 

Ensphere  the  skies, 
Abound  in  lovely  myteriesr 

Behind  their  bars 

Are  pent  the  stars, 
Warm  Venus'  glow,  the  shafts  of  Mars. 

Once,  murky  night 

Shut  in  my  sight: 
One  glance  revealed  the  source  of  light! 

Now,  to  be  wise 

Or  gay,  I  rise, 
By  gazing  in  my  lady's  eyes! 

—  Song  from  The  Oculist. 

The  process  of  bringing  the  "  Jones  plane  of  men- 
tality "  uppermost  in  Mr.  Amidon  would  not  have 
been  regarded  by  the  masculine  reader  of  the  unre- 
generate  sort  (though  to  such  far  be  it  from  me  to 
appeal!)  as  an  operation  at  all  painful.  But  Mr. 
Amidon,  I  must  declare,  was  not  of  the  unregenerate 
sort. 

"  Now,"  said  Madame  le  Claire,  "  sit  down  in  the 

arm-chair,  and  in  a  few  minutes  you  will  feel  a  sensa- 

39 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

tion  of  drowsiness.  Soon  you  will  sleep.  Think 
with  all  your  power  that  you  are  to  sleep." 

She  was  sitting  in  a  very  high  chair,  he  in  a  low 
one,  so  that  her  eyes  were  above  his.  The  professor 
was  blent  with  the  shadows  of  some  corner,  in  silent 
self-effacement,  with  a  note-book  in  his  hand. 

Amidon  tried  to  think  with  all  his  power  that  he 
was  to  sleep;  but  the  lights  and  shadows  and  depths 
of  the  woman's  eyes  drew  all  thoughts  to  them. 
Uncle  Toby,  looking  for  the  mote  in  the  eye  of  the 
Widow  Wadman,  must  have  felt  as  did  our  wander- 
ing Florian.  Never  before  had  he  noted  for  more 
than  a  fleeting  glance  the  light  that  lies  in  woman's 
eyes.  Now  those  limpid  orbs  met  his  in  a  regard, 
kindly,  steady,  eloquent  of  unutterable  things.  He 
noted  the  dark,  arched,  ebon  sweep  of  the  eye- 
brow, the  long  dark  lashes  curved  daintily  up- 
ward, the  shining  whiteness  in  the  corners,  and  the 
wondrous  irises.  The  one  which  was  gray  was  dark 
like  a  moonlit  sky;  the  other,  like  the  same  sky 
flecked  with  clouds,  and  filled  with  the  golden  smoke 
of  some  far-off  conflagration;  and  at  the  inner 
margin  of  both,  the  black  of  the  dilated  pupils 
seemed  to  spread  out  into  the  iris  in  rays  of  feath- 
ery blackness.  They  seemed  to  him  like  twin  worlds 

40 


"And  Elizabeth  ?"  asked  Amidon  Page 


THE  JONES  PLANE  OF  MENTALITY 

—  great,    capacious,    mysterious,    alluring,    absorb- 
ing.    Behind   the    feathery   curtains   of   those   irises 
lay    all    the    lovely    things    of    which    he    had    ever 
thought    or    dreamed  —  the    things    which    sculptors 
and     poets     and     painters     see,     and     seek     to     ex- 
press.    And  without  changing  his  gaze,  he  saw  be- 
low the  eyes  the  downy  cheek,  and  the  red  lips  so 
sweetly  curved.     A  new  thrill  ran  through  the  man, 
and   a   new  light   came   into  his  eyes.     Madame  le 
Claire  blushed. 

"  Are  you  thinking  of  going  to  sleep?  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  he ;  "I  was  thinking 

—  I  am  afraid  I  was  not ! " 

"  Try  again,"  said  she ;  "  and  please  control  your 
thoughts.  Think  that  you  — •  are  —  going  —  to 

sleep.      To   sleep Sleep !      Sleep ! Slee  — 

ee  —  eep !  " 

Now  Amidon's  eyes  sought  hers  again,  and  held 
there;  and  the  twin  worlds,  sphered  in  some  slowly- 
turning  orbit,  seemed  swinging  in  their  native  space. 
Now  the  cheeks  and  hair  and  mouth  came  out  in  their 
places,  returning  to  distinctness  like  features  of  a 
face  on  a  screen.  Now  the  eyes  became  twin  stars 
again,  casting  on  him  once  more  the  effulgence  of 
their  binary  glow. 

41 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

And  now  eyes  and  face  and  hair,  and  Madame  le 
Claire  —  all  passed  away ;  and  Florian  Amidon  be- 
came as  naught,  and  the  tigrine  lady  and  the  faded 
professor  played  with  the  thing  which  had  been  he, 
as  upon  a  machine.  The  pillar  of  Hazelhurst  society, 
the  banker  now  five  years  lost,  the  bewildered  wretch 
of  the  sleeping-car,  was  now,  by  his  own  act,  given 
over  as  passively  as  some  inert  instrument,  body  and 
soul,  to  the  guidance  and  manipulation  of  this  shady 
occultist,  not  four  hours  known  to  him  —  while  out- 
side droned  the  muffled  roar  of  the  human  cyclone 
which  sweeps  and  whirls  and  eddies  through  Manhat- 
tan. So  stripped)  of  stability  was  the  pillar,  that 
he  was  now  a  mere  feather  of  humanity,  self-aban- 
doned to  the  clasp  of  the  storm  of  the  modern  Baby- 
lon. Madame  le  Claire  questioned,  Amidon  answered 
(or  Something  answered  for  him),  and  Professor 
Blatherwick  wrote  in  his  book  —  wrote  the  data  of 
"  te  Chones  blane  of  mentality." 

"  Dis  iss  enough,"  said  the  professor,  "  for  vunce. 
Pring  him  to !  " 

Madame  le  Claire  leaned  back,  gave  her  subject  a 
long  look,  and  then,  walking  to  him,  took  his  head 
tenderly  in  her  hands.  With  the  left,  she  held  his 
forehead ;  the  fingers  of  the  right  crept  insinuatingly 

42 


THE  JONES  PLANE  OF  MENTALITY 

among  the  curls  resting  on  his  neck,  swept  thence 
over  to  his  brow,  and  down  across  his  eyelids,  closing 
them;  and  Amidon  sat,  senseless  as  a  statue,  and 
almost  as  still. 

"  Right ! "  said  Madame  le  Claire  sharply. 
"Wake!" 

Amidon  opened  his  eyes  wearily. 

"  When  are  you  going  to  begin  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Ve  are  t'rough,"  said  the  professor.  "  Ve  know 
it  all." 

"  And  Brassfield  ?    Did  I ?  " 

"  You  have  done  him  notting,"  said  the  professor. 
"  You  are  all  recht.  You  need  not  fear " 

"  And  the  lady  —  Elizabeth  ?  "  suggested  Amidon, 
as  passing  to  the  thing  of  next  importance. 

"  It  is  near  morning,"  said  Madame  le  Claire, 
"  and  you  are  prostrated.  We  are  all  very  tired. 
Aaron  must  take  you  to  your  hotel.  You  must  sleep. 
Never  fear,  no  harm  is  coming  to  you.  When  you 
wake,  come  to  me,  and  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it  — 
*  All  Mysteries  Solved,'  you  know.  Good  night. 
You  will  sleep  late  in  the  morning." 


43 


vn 

ENTER  THE  LEGAL  MIND 

The  need  of  lucre  never  looms  so  large 

As  when  'tis  gotten  in  some  devious  way: 

It  mitigates  the  blackness  of  the  charge 
That  every  nether  level  yielded  pay. 

The  man  who  dares  e'en  to  the  prison's  marge 

Should  bring  back  what  he  went  for  —  or  should 
stay! 

The  need  of  lucre  never  looms  so  large 

As  when  'tis  gotten  in  some  devious  way. 

Men  can  o'erlook  the  stain  upon  the  targe, 
If  from  its  boss  the  jewel  shoots  its  ray; 

Or  blood  upon  the  pirate's  sable  barge 

Covered  by  silks'  and  satins'  bright  array  — 

The  need  of  lucre  never  looms  so  large 

As  when  'tis  gotten  in  some  devious  way. 

—  Rondels   of  the  Curb. 

Morning  passed  to  noon,  and  the  day  aged  into 
afternoon,  before  Amidon  rose  from  the  deep  sleep 
which  (according  to  Le  Claire's  prediction)  followed 
his  evening  with  her  and  the  professor.  With  that 
odd  sense  of  bewilderment  which  the  early  riser  feels 
at  this  violation  of  habit,  he  went  into  the  cafe  for 
his  belated  breakfast.  Impatient  to  finish  the  meal 

44 


ENTER  THE  LEGAL  MIND 

so  that  he  might  haste  to  the  promised  interview,  he 
studied  the  menu,  and  with  his  eye  scouted  the  room 
for  a  waiter  —  failing  to  bestow  even  the  slightest 
glance  on  a  man  seated  opposite.  This  fact,  how- 
ever, did  not  prevent  the  stranger  from  scrutinizing 
Amidon's  face,  his  dress,  and  even  his  hands,  as  if 
each  minutest  detail  were  vitally  important.  He 
even  dropped  his  napkin  so  as  to  make  an  excuse  for 
looking  under  the  table,  and  thus  getting  a  good 
view  of  Florian's  boots.  Finally  he  spoke,  as  if  con- 
tinuing a  broken-off  conversation. 

"  As  I  said  a  while  ago,"  he  remarked,  "  Browning 
falls  short  of  being  a  poet,  just  as  a  marble-cutter 
falls  short  of  being  a  sculptor.  You  were  quoting 
Love  Among  the  Rums,  as  the  train  stopped  at  Elm 
Springs  Junction ;  or  was  it  Evelyn " 

Amidon's  eyes,  during  this  apparently  aimless  dis- 
quisition, had  been  drawn  from  his  meal  to  the 
speaker.  He  saw  an  elderly  gentleman,  clothed  in 
the  black  frock-coat  and  black  tie  of  the  rural  lawyer 
of  the  old  school.  His  eyes  shot  keen  and  kindly 
glances  from  the  deep  ambush  of  great  white  brows, 
and  his  mouth  was  hidden  under  a  snowy  mustache. 
His  features  made  up  for  a  somewhat  marked  poverty 
of  shape  by  a  luxuriance  of  ruddy  color,  the  culmi- 

45 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

nating  point  of  which  was  to  be  found  in  the  broad 
and  fleshy  nose.  His  voice,  soft  and  gentle  when  he 
began,  swelled  out,  as  he  spoke,  into  something  of 
the  orator's  orotund.  When  Amidon  looked  at  him, 
the  speaker  returned  the  gaze  in  full  measure,  and 
leaning  across  the  table,  pointed  his  finger  at  his 
auditor,  and  slowly  uttered  the  words,  " —  as  —  the 
train  —  stopped  —  at  —  Elm  Springs  Junction !  " 

"  Why,  Judge  Blodgett ! "  exclaimed  Amidon, 
"  can  this  be  you  ?  " 

"Can  it  be  I?"  exclaimed  the  judge.  "Can  it 
be  me!  No  difficulty  about  that.  Never  mind  the 
handshaking  just  yet  —  after  a  while,  maybe.  When 
it  comes  to  the  can-it-be  part,  how  about  you?  How 
about  the  past  five  years,  and  Jennie  Baggs  keeping 
a  place  for  you  every  meal  for  all  this  time,  up  to 
the  present  hour?  I  tell  you,  Florian,  letting  me 
down  in  that  case  of  Amidon  versus  Cattermole,  with- 
out a  scrap  of  evidence,  and  getting  me  licked  by  a 
young  practitioner  who  studied  in  my  office,  was  bad 
—  was  damnable ;  but  an  only  sister,  Florian !  and 
not  one  word  in  five  years !  " 

"  She's  well,  then,  Jennie  is  ?  " 

"  She's  as  well,  Florian,  as  a  woman  with  the  sor- 
row you've  brought  to  her,  and  the  mother  of  two 

46 


ENTER  THE  LEGAL  MIND 

infants,  can  be.  But  why  do  you  ask  ?  —  why  do 
you  ask  ?  —  why  is  it  necessary  to  go  through  the 
work  of  surplusage  of  asking?  " 

"Children,  eh?"  said  Florian.  "Good  for  Jen- 
nie !  And  how's  Baggs  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Baggs,  yes  —  why,  Baggs  has  come  through 
it  all  with  his  health  about  unimpaired,  Baggs  has! 
But  no  Baggs  court  of  inquiry  is  going  to  switch 
me  off  the  examination  I'm  now  conducting;  and  I 
tell  you,  Mr.  Amidon,  you  can't  dodge  me.  What 
double  life  took  you  away  from  home,  and  property, 
and  everything?  " 

"  Judge  Blodgett,"  said  Mr.  Amidon,  in  that  low 
voice  which,  with  the  English  language  as  the  me- 
dium of  communication,  is  known  as  the  danger-signal 
the  world  over,  "  the  term  '  double  life '  has  a  mean- 
ing which  is  insulting.  Don't  use  it  again." 

"  Well,  well,  Florian,"  said  the  judge,  evidently 
pleased,  "  sustaining  the  motion  to  strike  that  out, 
the  question  remains.  You  aren't  obliged  to  answer, 
you  know;  but  you  know,  too,  what  not  answering 
it  means." 

"  Judge,"  said  Amidon,  after  a  long  pause,  "  to 
say  that  I  don't  know  where  I  have  been,  or  what  I 
have  been  doing,  since  June  twenty-seventh,  1896, 

47 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

until  yesterday  morning  when  I  came  to  my  senses  in 
a  moving  sleeping-car,  won't  satisfy  you ;  but  it's  the 
truth." 

The  judge  looked  off  toward  the  ceiling  in  the 
manner  of  a  jurist  considering  some  complex  argu- 
ment, but  was  silent. 

"  Now  I  have  found  a  way,"  said  Amidon,  "  of 
having  all  this  explained.  Come  with  me,  and  let's 
find  out.  There  may  be  complications;  I  may  need 
your  help.  You  are  the  one  man  in  all  the  world 
that  I  was  just  wishing  for." 

"Complications,  eh?"  said  the  judge.  "Well, 
well !  Let  us  see !  " 

And  now  he  dropped  into  the  old  manner  so  well 
known  to  his  companion  as  his  office  style.  Piece  by 
piece,  he  drew  from  Amidon  his  story.  He  dropped 
back  to  previous  parts  of  the  narrative,  and  elicited 
repetitions.  He  slurred  over  crucial  points  as  if  he 
did  not  see  their  bearing,  and  then  artfully  assumed 
minute  variations  of  the  tale,  but  was  always  cor- 
rected. 

"  The  prosecution  is  obliged  to  rest  its  case,"  said 
he,  at  last.  "  You're  not  crazy,  or  all  my  studies  in 
diseases  of  the  mind  have  done  me  no  good.  Your 
story  hangs  together  as  no  fiction  could.  To  believe 

48 


ENTER  THE  LEGAL  MIND 

you,  brands  us  both  as  lunatics.  Come  on  and  let's 
see  what  your  mesmerist  frauds  have  to  say.  As  a 
specialist  in  facts,  I'm  a  drowning  man  catching  at 
a  straw.  Come  on:  mesmerism,  or  astrology,  or  Mo- 
qui  snake-dance,  it's  all  one  to  me ! " 

Up  the  stairs  again,  this  time  with  Judge  Blodgett, 
warily  snuffing  the  air,  and  shy  of  both  Bohemia  and 
Benares.  Into  the  presence  of  Madame  le  Claire, 
now  gowned  appropriately  for  the  morning,  and  look- 
ing —  extraordinary,  it  is  true,  with  her  party-col- 
ored hair  and  luminous  eyes  —  but  not  so  jungly  as 
when  she  greeted  the  despairing  sight  of  Amidon  the 
night  before. 

"  Madame,  and  sir,"  said  the  judge,  "  as  Mr. 
Amidon's  friend  and  legal  adviser,  I  am  here  to  pro- 
tect his  interests." 

"  So !  Goot !  "  said  the  professor.  "  Bud  te  mat- 
ter under  gonsideration  is  psychical,  nod  beguniary. 
Jfowefer,  if  you  are  interested  in  te  realm  of  te  sup- 

liminal,  if  you  care  for  mental  science " 

"  Sir,"  said  the  judge,  "  I  may  almost  claim  to  be 
a  specialist  (so  far  as  a  country  practitioner  is  per- 
mitted to  specialize)  in  senile  and  paretic  dementia, 
since  I  had  the  honor  to  represent  the  proponents  in 
the  will  case  of  Snoke  versus  Snoke.  But  it's  only 

49 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

fair  to  say  that  I  regard  hypnotism  as  humbug  — 
only  fair." 

"  Goot,  goot ! "  said  the  professor  delightedly. 
"  To  temonstrate  to  an  honest  ant  indellichent  skep- 
tic, is  te  rarest  of  brifileches.  Ve  vill  now  broceed  to 
temonstrate.  Here  is  our  friendt  Herr  Amidon  avok- 
ened  in  a  car  after  fife  years  of  lostness;  he  has  an- 
odder  man's  clotes,  anodder  man's  dicket,  letters  — 
unt  all.  He  gomes  to  Madame  le  Claire  ant  Bla- 
therwick.  He  is  hypnotized  out  of  te  Amidon  blane 
of  being,  ant  into  anodder.  He  is  mate  to  gife  him- 
self avay.  Now  ve  vill  broceed  to  dell  aboudt  his  life 
since  he  vas  lost  —  is  it  a  dest,  no?  " 

"  Huh!  "  snorted  the  judge. 

"  Go  on,"  cried  Amidon ;  "  tell  me  the  story ! " 

"  Veil,"  said  the  professor,  "  for  four  veeks  after 
you  left  Elm  Springs  Chunction,  you  vandered  — 
not,  Clara?" 

"  Wandered,"  said  Clara,  "  and  to  so  many  places 
that  I  can't  remember  them.  Then  you  found  oil, 
or  traces  of  it  —  I  can't  get  that  very  plainly  —  on 
a  farm  at  Bunn's  Ferry,  Pennsylvania;  and  bought 
an  option  on  the  farm.  Then  you  opened  an  office 
in  Bellevale,  and  have  been  there  in  the  oil  business 
ever  since." 

50 


ENTER  THE  LEGAL  MIND 

"How's  he  been  doin'  financially?"  interjected 
the  judge. 

"  He  has  made  a  fortune,"  said  Clara.  "  I  be- 
lieve him  to  be  one  of  the  principal  men  of  the  town, 
socially  and  in  a  business  way.  He  didn't  tell  me 
this,  but  we  think  the  circumstances  seem  to  indicate 
it." 

"  Te  saircumstances,"  said  the  professor,  filling  a 
pause,  "  show  it." 

"  How  is  it,"  said  the  judge,  "  that  no  one  has  ever 
heard  of  his  Bellevale  career  out  in  Hazelhurst,  if 
he's  so  prominent?  We  read,  out  there,  and  once  in 
a  while  one  of  us  goes  outside  the  corporation." 

"  His  name,"  said  Madame  le  Claire,  "  in  Bellevale 
is  not  Florian  Amidon." 

"  What  is  it?  "  cried  Amidon.     "  TeU  it  to  me! " 

Madame  le  Claire  restrained  him  with  a  calm 
glance. 

"  It  is  Eugene  Brassfield,"  said  she. 

"  It  is  your  own  clotes,"  cried  the  professor  glee- 
fully, "  your  own  dicket,  your  own  gorrespondence !  " 

Amidon  was  feeling  in  his  breast-pocket  for  some- 
thing. He  withdrew  his  hand,  holding  in  it  a  letter, 
and  looked  from  it  to  Madame  le  Claire  question- 
ingly. 

51 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  said  she,  not  quite  in  her  usual  man- 
ner, "  it's  yours.  It's  from  Miss  Elizabeth  Waldron, 
of  Bellevale,  your  affianced  wife." 

"  Aha !  "  said  the  judge.  "  Now  will  you  get  mad 
when  I  speak  of  a  double  life?  Engaged,  hey?  " 

"  I  never  saw  the  —  the  lady  in  my  life,"  was  the 
reply ;  "  so  how  can  I  be  —  can  I  be  —  engaged  to 
her?  " 

"  In  te  Amidon  Wane  of  gonsciousness,"  said  the 
professor,  "  you  are  stranchers.  In  te  Brassfield 
pairsonality,  you  are  —  Gott  im  Himmel,  you  are 
stuck  on  her,  stuck  on  her  —  not,  Clara  ?  Vas  he  not 
gracey  ?  Only  Clara  cut  it  short  in  te  temonstration ; 
but  as  a  luffer,  in  te  Brassfield  blane,  you  are  vot  you 
call  hot  stuff." 

"  You  had  better  read  the  gentlemen  your  notes," 
said  Madame  le  Claire  coldly.  "  And  please  excuse 
me.  I  hope  to  see  you  both  again."  And  with  a 
sinuous  bow,  she  swept  from  the  room. 

Blodgett,  keenly  analytical,  lost  no  word  of  the 
professor's  notes.  Florian  sat  with  the  letter  from 
Miss  Waldron  in  his  hand,  lost  in  thought.  Some- 
times his  face  burned  with  blushes,  sometimes  it  paled 
with  anxiety.  His  eyes  ran  over  the  letter  full  of 
sweet  ardors;  and  when  he  thought  of  replying  to 

52 


ENTER  THE  LEGAL  MIND 

them  —  or  leaving  them  unanswered  —  his  brow  went 
moist  and  his  heart  sick.  What  should  he  do?  What 
could  he  do? 

When  they  returned  to  the  hotel,  the  judge  was 
in  a  fever  of  excitement. 

"  I  tell  you,  Florian,"  said  he,  "  I  believe  the  pro- 
fessor is  right  about  this.  It  seems  that  there  are 
precedents,  you  know  —  cases  on  all-fours  with  yours. 
When  I  went  to  the  telephone,  up  there,  I  called  up 
Stacy  and  Stacy's  and  asked  'em  to  get  me  Dun's 
and  Bradstreet's  report  on  your  Bellevale  business. 
It  ought  to  be  up  here  pretty  soon.  There  may  be 
something  down  there  worth  looking  after,  and  need- 
ing attention." 

"  Perhaps,"  groaned  Amidon.  "  Do  you  know 
that  I'm  engaged " 

"  One  of  the  things  I  referred  to,"  said  the  judge. 

" —  to  a  lady,  down  there,  whom  I  shouldn't  know 
if  I  were  to  meet  her  out  in  the  hall?  If  I  go  back 
to  Hazelhurst,  she  is  put  under  a  cloud  as  a  deserted 
woman  —  to  say  nothing  of  her  feelings.  And  if  I 
go  back  to  Bellevale  —  my  God,  Judge,  how  can  I 
go  back,  and  take  my  place  in  a  society  where  every 
one  knows  me,  and  I  know  nobody ;  and  be  a  lover  to 
a  girl  who  may  be  —  anything,  you  know ;  but  who 

53 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

has  the  highest  sort  of  claims  on  me,  and  a  nature, 
I'm  sure,  capable  of  the  keenest  suffering  or  pleasure 
—  how  can  I  ?  " 

"  Message,  sir,  from  Stacy  and  Stacy,"  said  a  mes- 
senger boy  at  the  door. 

Judge  Blodgett  tore  open  the  envelope,  and  read 
the  telegraphic  reports. 

"M  — m  — m-  -  Y  —  e  —  es,"  said  he.  "It'll 
take  diplomacy,  Florian,  diplomacy.  But,  if  these 
reports  are  to  be  trusted,  and  I  guess  they  are,  you've 
got  about  ten  times  as  much  at  Bellevale  as  you  have 
at  Hazelhurst.  And,  as  you  say,  the  lady  has  claims. 
As  an  honorable  man  —  an  engaged  man,  who  has  re- 
ceived the  plighted  troth  of  a  pure  young  heart  — 
and  a  good  financier,  this  Bellevale  life  demands  re- 
sumption at  your  hands.  Prepare,  fellow  citizen,  to 
meet  the  difficulties  of  the  situation." 


vm 

POISING    FOR    THE    PLUNGE 

Yea,  all  her  words  are  sweet  and  fair, 

And  so,  mayhap,  is  she; 
But  words  are  naught  but  molded  air, 

And  air  and  molds  are  free. 
Belike,  the  youth  in  charm&d  hall 

Some  fardels   sore  might  miss, 
Scanning  his  Beauty's  household  all, 

Or  ere  he  gave  the  kiss! 

—  The  Knyghte's  Discourse  to  his  Page. 

Now  it  happened  that  at  Bellevale,  the  young 
woman  whom  we  —  with  the  sweet  familiarity  of  art 
—  have  had  the  joy  to  know  as  Elizabeth,  moved 
about  in  unconsciousness,  mostly  blissful,  of  the  an- 
nihilation of  Eugene  Brassfield.  The  mails  might 
take  to  Mrs.  Baggs  at  Hazelhurst  vague  letters  from 
Judge  Blodgett  hinting  at  clues  and  traces  of  Flo- 
rian,  preparatory  to  the  restoration  of  the  lost  broth- 
er ;  but  Brassfield,  never  anything  but  a  wraith  from 
the  mysterious  caves  of  the  subconsciousness,  was  non- 
existent for  evermore,  except  through  the  magic  of 

Le  Claire.     But  Elizabeth  Waldron,  just  home  from 

55 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

college,  full  of  the  wise  unwisdom  of  Smith  and 
twenty-three,  and  palpitating  with  the  shock  which 
had  broken  the  cables  by  which  she  had  so  long,  long 
ago  moored  herself  in  the  safe  and  deep  waters  of  the 
harbor  of  a  literary  and  intellectual  celibacy,  still 
dreamed  of  the  bubble  personality  which  had  vanished, 
although  at  times  waves  of  anxious  unrest  swept  across 
her  bosom. 

For  one  thing,  that  epistle  of  hers,  made  for  his 
reading  on  the  train  —  how  could  she  have  written 
it!  Elizabeth's  cheeks  burned  when  she  remembered 
it.  Then  she  thought  of  the  weeks  of  chaste  dal- 
liance between  her  acceptance  of  him  and  his  de- 
parture, and  of  the  elan  with  which  he  had  entered 
that  safe  harbor  of  hers,  and  swept  her  from  those 
moorings ;  and  the  letter  seemed  slight  return  for  the 
rites  of  adoration  he  had  performed  before  her. 

But  (and  now  the  cheeks  burned  once  more)  why, 
why  had  he  not  written  to  her  as  soon  as  he  reached 
New  York?  Was  he  one  with  whom  it  was  out  of 
sight,  out  of  mind?  Or  was  he  one  of  those  business 
men  who  can  not  place  anything  more  delicate  than 
price-quotations  on  paper?  Or  —  and  here  the 
cheeks  paled  —  was  he  suddenly  ill?  She  wished, 
after  all,  that  she  had  not  written  it! 

56 


POISING  FOR  THE  PLUNGE 

And  one  day,  when  a  special-delivery  letter  came 
and  surprised  her,  she  ran  out  in  the  winter  sun  to 
the  summer-house  where  she  had  sat  so  much  with 
him,  and  read  it  in  quiet.  Whereupon  the  unrest 
increased,  because  the  letter  seemed  as  unlike  Eugene 
as  if  he  had  copied  it  from  some  Complete  Letter 
Writer. 

Florian  had  agonized  over  this  letter  —  had  even 
tried  the  experiment  of  writing  one  while  in  the 
"  Chones  blane  "  under  the  influence  of  Madame  le 
Claire ;  but  it  was  too  incoherent  for  any  use  —  and 
he  had  done  the  best  he  could.  Professor  Blather- 
wick  and  Judge  Blodgett  were  working  out  a  code 
of  behavior  for  Mr.  Amidon  when  he  should  return 
to  Bellevale.  They  kept  him  in  the  Brassfield  per- 
sonality for  hours  every  day;  but  such  a  matter  as 
this  letter  to  Elizabeth,  he  could  not  intrust  to  them. 
Every  day,  though,  he  looked  into  the  varicolored 
eyes  of  Clara  and  willed  to  sleep;  and  every  day  the 
operation  grew  less  and  less  painful  to  him. 

Vast  and  complex  was  the  system  of  notes  built  up 
by  the  professor  and  the  judge.  They  told  him  all 
about  his  various  properties  and  holdings  of  stock; 
they  listed  the  clubs  and  social  organizations  to 
which  he  belonged,  and  the  offices  he  held  in  each. 

57 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

They  made  a  directory  of  names  mentioned  by 
him  in  his  abnormal  state,  and  compiled  facts 
about  each  person.  It  must  have  been  very  much 
like  the  copious  information  that  we  think  we  have 
about  historical  characters  —  elaborate,  and  the  best 
thing  possible  in  the  absence  of  the  real  facts;  but 
only  the  reflection  of  these  people  in  the  mind  of 
some  one  else,  after  all.  Finally  the  judge  brought 
the  whole  to  his  friend,  neatly  typewritten,  para- 
graphs numbered,  facts  tabulated,  and  all  provided 
with  a  splendid  index  and  system  of  elaborate  cross- 
references. 

"  You  see,  my  boy,"  said  Judge  Blodgett,  "  all 
any  one  really  needs  to  know  of  his  surroundings  is 
actually  very  little.  Otherwise,  most  people  never 
could  get  along  at  all.  Neander  couldn't  find  his  way 
to  market  —  the  greatest  philosopher  of  his  time. 
Now  these  notes  tell  you  more  —  actually  more  —  of 
your  Bellevale  life,  than  some  folks  ever  find  out  about 
themselves  —  with  a  little  filling  in,  on  the  spot,  you 
know,  why,  they'll  do  first  rate.  For  instance,  under 
*  S  '  we  have  a  man  named  Stevens,  *  Old  Stevens ' 
you  playfully  call  him.  I  figure  him  out  to  be  an  el- 
derly man  in  some  position  of  authority  —  he  seems  to 
sort  of  govern  things,  even  you.  The  professor  thinks 

58 


POISING  FOR  THE  PLUNGE 

he's  your  banker,  but  his  intellectual  domination  leads 
me  to  the  conclusion  that  he's  your  lawyer.  There  is 
a  Miss  Strong,  evidently  an  important  person.  I  ven- 
ture the  assertion  that  she's  a  literary  woman,  as  you 
speak  about  asking  her  to  *  look  at  her  notes.'  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  she's  a  rival  of  Miss  Waldron's, 
eh,  Professor?  " 

"  Well,"   said  Amidon   impatiently,   "  who  else  ?  " 

"  Oh,  lots  of  'em,"  answered  the  judge.  "  Here's 
*  A '  for  instance,  and  under  it  a  man  named  Alvord 
—  a  close  friend  of  yours " 

"  The  one  this  telegram  is  from,"  said  Amidon. 
"  And  I  suppose  this  one  in  cipher  is  from  Stevens, 
the  lawyer  or  banker.  It  must  be  important." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  said  Judge  Blodgett ;  "  and 
this  Mr.  Alvord  I  take  to  be  a  minister,  for  you  con- 
nect him  with  some  topic  relating  to  '  Christian  Mar- 
tyrs '  and  '  rituals.'  He  must  be  a  close  friend,  for 
you  sometimes  call  him  '  Jim,'  in  strict  privacy,  I 
presume.  Oh,  there's  a  regular  directory  of  'em 
here.  I've  even  discovered  that  you  have  a  little 
friend,  a  child  of  say  seven  or  eight  years  —  tell  by 
the  tone,  you  know  —  that  you  call  *  Daisy '  and 
'  Daise '  and  sometimes  *  Strawberry.'  These  fond- 
nesses for  children  and  clergymen  prove  to  me,  Flo- 

59 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

rian,  that  an  Amidon  is  good  goods  on  any  con- 
founded plane  of  consciousness  you  can  throw  'em 
into  —  conservative,  respectable,  and  all  that,  you 
know." 

Amidon  looked  suspiciously  at  the  notes,  unap- 
peased  by  this  flattery.  What  justification  there 
was  for  suspicion  we  shall  be  better  able  to  say  when 
we  meet  these  Bellevale  acquaintances  of  his. 

"  Is  this  the  guide  by  which  I  am  to  regulate  my 
conduct  in  Bellevale?"  asked  he,  after  looking  it 
over. 

"  Well,"  said  the  judge,  "  it  may  not  be  quite  like 
remembering  all  about  things;  but  anyhow  it  will 
help  some,  won't  it?  " 

"  I  suppose  I'm  to  carry  it  with  me,  and  when  an 
acquaintance  accosts  me  on  the  street,  I'm  to  look 
him  up  in  the  index  and  find  out  who  he  is,  before  I 
decide  whether  to  shake  hands  with  him  or  cut  him, 
am  I?" 

"Not  exactly  that  way,"  said  the  judge;  "that 
wouldn't  be  practicable,  you  know ;  but  it's  ten  to  one 
you'll  find  his  name  there.  I  tell  you,  that  com- 
pilation   " 

"  Te  tifision  into  gategories,"  broke  in  the  profes- 
sor, "  according  to  te  brinciples  of  lotchik  was  te 

60 


.  * 


"I 

o 


POISING  FOR  THE  PLUNGE 

chutche's  itea.  A  vonderfully  inchenious  blan.  It 
vill  enaple  you " 

"  Has  it  any  plan  of  reference,"  interrupted  Ami- 
don,  "  by  which  I  shall  be  enabled  to  find  out  about  a 
man  when  I  don't  know  who  he  is  ?  " 

"  N  —  no." 

"  Or,  in  such  a  case,  to  give  me  knowledge  of  my 
past  relations  with  him,  or  whether  I  like  him  or  hate 
him?" 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  judge,  "  we  only  try  to  do 
the  possible.  The  law  requires  no  man  to  do  more." 

"  Does  this  thing,"  said  Amidon,  shaking  it  in  evi- 
dent disgust,  "  tell  where  I  live  in  Bellevale,  whether 
in  lodgings  or  at  a  hotel,  or  in  my  own  house?  Could 
I  take  it  and  find  my  home?  " 

"  Damn  it,  Florian !  "  said  the  judge,  "  I'm  not  here 
to  be  jumped  on,  am  I?  No  one  can  remember  every- 
thing all  the  time.  We'll  get  those  things  and  put 
them  into  a  supplement,  you  know." 

"  Not  for  me,"  said  Florian.  "  I've  made  up  my 
mind  definitely  about  this.  I'll  not  depend  on  it. 
If  I  go  back  to  Bellevale,  I  must  have  at  hand  at  all 
times  the  means  of  connecting  things  as  I  find  them 
with  the  life  of  this  Brassfield.  I  must  take  with 
me  the  bridge  which  spans  the  chasm  between  Brass- 

61 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

field  and  Amidon  —  I  mean  our  friend  Clara.  With- 
out her,  I  shall  never  go  back.  I  haven't  the  nerve. 
I  should  soon  find  myself  in  a  tangle  of  mistakes  from 
which  I  could  never  extricate  myself  —  I've  thought 
it  all  out.  The  Cretan  Labyrinth  would  be  like  go- 
ing home  from  school,  in  comparison." 

"  Pshaw ! "  said  the  judge,  looking  lovingly  at 
Blodgett's  Notes  on  the  Compiled  Statements  of 
Brassfield,  "  you  could  feel  your  way  along  very 
well  —  with  these." 

"  Would  you  go  into  the  trial  of  a  case,"  said  Flo- 
rian,  "  no  matter  how  simple,  in  which  not  only  your 
own  future,  but  the  happiness  of  others,  might  be 
involved,  without  even  a  speaking  acquaintance  with 
any  of  the  parties,  or  one  of  the  witnesses?  I  tell 
you,  Judge,  we  must  have  Madame  le  Claire." 

The  judge  rolled  up  the  notes  and  snapped  a  rub- 
ber band  about  the  roll.  He  said  no  more  until 
evening. 

"  Then,"  said  he,  as  if  he  had  only  just  made  up 
his  mind  to  concede  the  point,  "  let's  see  if  it  can  be 
arranged  at  once.  Come  over  to  the  Blatherwicks' 
with  me." 

"  I  think,"  said  Amidon  slowly,  "  that  I'll  see  her 
alone." 

62 


POISING  FOR  THE  PLUNGE 

"  Alone,  yes  —  yes !  "  said  the  judge,  changing  an 
interjection  into  an  assent.  "By  all  means;  by  all 
means.  Only  don't  you  think  there  may  be  things 
down  there  needing  attention,  Florian  —  money  mat- 
ters —  and  —  and  other  things,  you  know,  my  boy 
—  and  that  we  ought  to  be  moving  in  the  matter? 
I  would  respectfully  urge,"  he  concluded,  using  his 
orator's  chest-tones  to  drown  Amidon's  protest  against 
his  joking,  "  that  no  time  be  lost  in  deciding  on  our 
course." 

The  judge  had  noted  the  increasing  dependence 
of  his  client  on  the  fair  hypnotist,  and  the  grow- 
ing interest  that  she  seemed  to  feel  in  him,  and  there- 
fore showed  some  coolness  toward  the  proposal  to 
take  her  to  Bellevale.  The  eyes  inured  to  the  perusal 
of  dusty  commentaries  and  reports  were  still  sharp 
enough  to  see  the  mutual  tenderness  exchanged  in 
the  unwavering,  eye-to-eye  encounters  whereby  Ami- 
don  was  converted  into  Brassfield,  and  to  note  the 
softness  of  the  feline  strokings  by  which  Florian's 
catalepsy  was  induced  or  dispelled.  He  rather  fa- 
vored dropping  the  Blatherwick  acquaintance:  but 
he  could  not  answer  Amidon's  arguments  as  to  their 
need  for  its  continuance. 

So  it  was  that,  about  the  time  when  Elizabeth  Wal- 
63 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

dron  sat  in  the  summer-house  at  Bellevale,  with  tears 
of  disappointment  in  her  pretty  eyes,  holding  poor 
Florian's  best-he-could-do  but  ineffective  letter  all 
crumpled  up  in  her  hand,  the  tigrine  Le  Claire  rested 
her  elbows  upon  a  window-ledge  in  the  attitude  of 
gazing  into  the  street  (it  was  all  attitude,  for  she 
saw  nothing),  and  was  disturbed  by  Aaron,  who 
brought  in  Mr.  Florian  Amidon's  penciled  card.  She 
gave  a  few  pokes  to  her  hair,  of  course,  turned  once 
or  twice  about  before  her  mirror,  and  went  into  the 
parlor. 

"  The  judge  and  your  father,"  said  Amidon, 
"  have  got  up  a  wonderful  guide  from  notes  of  this 
man  Brassfield's  talk." 

"  Yes,"  said  she  with  a  smile ;  "  they  are  won- 
derful." 

"  And  perfectly  useless,"  he  continued,  "  so  far  as 
my  steering  by  them  in  Bellevale  is  concerned." 

"  As  useless,"  she  admitted,  "  as  can  be." 

"  You  knew  that?  "  he  inquired.  "  Then  why  did 
you  let  them  go  on  with  it?  " 

"That's  good,"  said  she.  "I  like  that!  I  was 
nicely  situated  to  mention  it,  wasn't  I  ?  " 

"  The  fact  is,  Clara,"  said  he,  "  as  you  can  see, 
that  I've  got  to  have  you  at  Bellevale.  I  shall  not 

64 


POISING  FOR  THE  PLUNGE 

go  down  there  without  you.  I  can't  do  it.  I've 
thought  it  all  out " 

"  So  have  I,"  said  she.  "  I  knew  that  you'd  have 
to  have  me  —  for  a  little  while ;  knew  it  all  the  time. 
I  was  just  thinking  about  it  as  you  came  up." 

"  Then  can  you  —  will  you  go?  " 

"  Can  I  stay,  Florian  ? "  she  inquired  steadily. 
"  Can  I  leave  you  like  a  just-cured  blind  and  deaf 
man,  and  my  work  for  you  only  begun?  I  must  go! 
We  were  just  talking  about  our  going  to  Bellevale,  as 
you  came  in,  papa.  Mr.  Amidon  will  need  us  for  a 
while  when  he  first  gets  there." 

"  Surely,  surely,"  said  the  professor.  "  Te  most 
inderesting  phaces  of  dis  case  vill  arise  in  Bellevale. 
I  grave  te  brifiletche  of  geeping  you  unter  my  op- 
sairfation  until  —  until  te  last  dog  is  hunk!  Let  us 
despatch  Chutche  Blotchett  to  spy  out  te  landt.  In 
a  day  or  two  he  can  tiscofer  vere  dis  man  Brassfield 
lifes,  vere  te  fair  Fraulein  Elizabeth  resides,  and 
chenerally  get  on  to  te  logal  skitivation.  He  vill 
meet  up  with  us  at  te  train,  and  see  that  ve  don't  put 
our  foots  in  it.  Ve  vill  dus  be  safed  te  mortification 
of  hafing  Alderman  Brassfield,  chairman  of  te  street 
committee,  asking  te  boliceman  te  vay  to  his  lotch- 
ings ;  or  te  fiance  of  Miss  Valdering  bassing  her  on  te 

65 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

street  vit  a  coldt,  coldt  stare  of  unrecognition  or 
embracing  her  young  laty  f riendt  py  mistake.  Goot ! 
Let  te  chutche  dake  his  tebarture  fortwith.  Clara 
and  I  vill  be  charmed  and  habby,  my  friendt,  to  ag- 
gompany  you.  Supliminally  gonsidered,  it  vill  be 
great  stuff!" 


66 


IX 

IN   DARKEST   PENNSYLVANIA 

The  good  God  gave  hands,  left  and  right, 
To  deal  with  divers  foes  in  fight; 
And  eyes  He  gave  all  sights  to  hold; 
And  limbs  for  pacings  manifold; 
Gave  tongue  to  taste  both  sour  and  sweet, 
Gave  gust  for  salad,  fish  and  meat; 
But,  Christian  Sir,  whoe'er  thou  art, 
Trust  not  thy  many-chambered  heart! 
Give  not  one  bow'r  to  Blonde,  and  yet 
Retain  a  room  for  the  Brunette: 
Whoever  gave  each  other  part, 
The  devil  planned  and  built  the  heart! 

—  In  a  Double  LocJcet. 

Clara,  Amidon  and  Blatherwick  were  on  their  way 
to  Bellevale.  The  professor  was  in  the  smoking- 
car,  his  daughter  and  Florian  in  the  parlor-car.  Ami- 
don, his  nerves  strained  to  the  point  of  agony,  sat 
dreading  the  end  of  the  journey,  as  one  falling  from 
an  air-ship  might  shrink  from  the  termination  of  his. 
Madame  le  Claire  brooded  over  him  maternally. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Amidon,  "  this  Brassfield  must 
have  adopted  some  course  of  behavior  toward  Miss 

Waldron,  when " 

67 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  You  must  call  her  Elizabeth,"  said  Madame  le 
Claire,  "and " 

"And  what?"  he  inquired,  as  she  failed  to  break 
the  pause.  "  Have  you  found  out  —  much  —  about 
it  —  from  him  ?  " 

"  Not  so  very  much,"  she  replied,  "  only  she'll  ex- 
pect such  things  as  '  dearest '  and  '  darling '  at  times. 
And  occasionally  *  pet '  and  '  sweetheart ' —  and 
'  dearie.'  I  can't  give  them  all ;  you  must  extempo- 
rize a  little,  can't  you  ?  " 

"  Merciful  heaven !  "  groaned  Amidon ;  "  I  can't 
doit!" 

"  You  have,"  said  Madame  le  Claire ;  "  and  more 
—  a  good  deal  more." 

"  It  was  that  scoundrel  Brassfield,"  said  he,  in  per- 
fect seriousness.  "  More  ?  What  do  you  mean  by 
'more'?" 

"  Well,  sometimes  you " 

"He,  not  I!" 

"'  You,  I  think  we  had  better  say  —  sometimes, 
when  you  were  alone,  your  arm  went  about  her  waist ; 
her  head  was  drawn  down  upon  your  bosom ;  and  with 
your  hand,  you  turned  her  face  to  yours,  and " 

"  Clara,  stop ! "  Amidon's  bashful  being  was 
wrung  to  the  sweating-point  as  he  uttered  the  cry.  "  I 

68 


IN  DARKEST  PENNSYLVANIA 

never  could  have  done  it!  And  do  you  mean  to  say 
I  must  now  act  up  to  a  record  of  that  kind  —  and 
with  a  strange  woman  ?  She  —  she  won't  permit 

it Oh,  you  must  be  mistaken!  How  do  you 

know  this?  " 

Madame  le  Claire  blushed,  and  seemed  to  want 
words  for  a  reply.  Amidon  repeated  the  question. 

"  I  want  to  know  if  you  are  sure,"  said  he.  "  To 
make  a  mistake  in  that  direction  would  be  worse  than 
the  other,  you  know." 

"Ah,  would  it?"  said  Clara;  "I  didn't  know 
that!" 

"  Oh !   I  think  we  may  take  that  for  granted." 

"  You  really  don't  get  a  grain  of  good  from  your 
Brassfield  experience,"  said  she,  "  or  you'd  know  bet- 
ter." Here  ensued  a  long  silence,  during  which  Ami- 
don appeared  to  be  pondering  on  her  extraordinary 
remark. 

"  But,  as  to  the  fact,"  urged  he  at  last,  "  how  can 
you  guess  out  any  such  state  of  things  as  you  de- 
scribe ?  " 

"  Can't  you  guess  a  little  bit  more  once  in  a  while  ? 
I  know  about  it,  from  Mr.  Brassfield's  treatment  — 
of  —  of  me  —  when  I  made  him  think  —  that  I  — 
was  Elizabeth !  Oh,  don't  you  see  that  I  had  to  do  it, 

69 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

so  as  to  know,  and  tell  you  ?  Oh,  I  wish  I  had  never, 
never  begun  this !  I  do,  I  do ! " 

A  parlor-car  has  no  conveniences  whatever  for  he- 
roics, hysterics  or  weeping,  so  miserably  are  our 
American  railways  managed;  and  Clara  winked  back 
into  her  eyes  the  tears  which  filled  them,  and  Amidon 
looked  at  her  tenderly. 

"  Did  I,  really,"  said  he  confusedly  — "  to  you  ?  " 

"  M'h'm,"  said  Madame  le  Claire,  nodding  affirma- 
tively ;  "  I  couldn't  stop  you !  " 

"  It  must  have  been  dreadful  —  for  you,"  said 
Amidon. 

"  Awful,"  said  she ;  "  but  the  work  had  to  be  done, 
you  know." 

"  Oh,  if  it  were  you,  now,"  said  he,  laying  his  hand 
on  hers,  "  I  could  do  it,  if  you  didn't  mind.  I  —  I 
should  like  to,  you  know." 

"  Now  see  here,"  said  Clara;  "  if  you're  just  prac- 
tising this,  as  a  sort  of  rehearsal,  you  must  go  fur- 
ther and  faster  than  a  public  place  like  this  allows, 
or  you'll  seem  cold  by  comparison  with  what  has 
passed.  If  you  mean  what  you  say,  let  me  remind 
you  that  you're  engaged !  " 

Mr.  Amidon  swore  softly,  but  sincerely.  Some- 
how, the  pitiful  case  of  the  girl  who  had  written  that 

70 


IN  DARKEST  PENNSYLVANIA 

letter  with  which  he  had  fallen  in  love,  had  less  and 
less  of  appeal  to  him  as  the  days  drifted  by.  And 
now,  while  the  duty  of  which  he  had  assured  himself 
still  impelled  him  to  her  side,  he  confessed  that  this 
other  girl  with  the  variegated  hair  and  eyes,  and  the 
power  to  annihilate  and  restore  him,  the  occultist  with 
the  thrilling  gaze  and  the  strong,  supple  figure,  was 
calling  more  and  more  to  the  aboriginal  man  within 
him.  So,  while  he  took  Elizabeth's  letters  from  his 
pocket  and  read  them,  to  get,  if  possible,  some  new 
light  on  her  character,  it  was  Clara's  face  that  his 
eyes  sought,  as  he  glanced  over  the  top  of  the  sheet. 
Ah,  Florian,  with  one  girl's  love-letter  in  your  hands, 
and  the  face  of  another  held  in  that  avid  gaze, 
can  you  be  the  bashful  banker-bachelor  who  could 
not  discuss  the  new  style  of  ladies'  figures  with  Mrs. 
Hunter!  And  as  we  thus  moralize,  the  train  sweeps 
on  and  on,  and  into  Bellevale,  where  Judge  Blodgett 
waits  upon  the  platform  for  our  arrival. 

The  judge  stood  by  the  steps  to  seize  upon  Amidon 
as  he  alighted.  That  gentleman  and  Madame  le 
Claire,  however,  perversely  got  off  at  the  other  end 
of  the  car.  As  they  walked  down  the  platform,  Flo- 
rian met  his  first  test,  in  the  salutation  of  a  young 
woman  in  a  tailor-made  gown,  who  nodded  and  smiled 

71 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

to  him  from  a  smart  trap  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  station,  where  she  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  some 
one. 

"  Any  baggage,  Mr.  Brassfield  ?  "  said  a  drayman. 

"  Yes,"  said  Amidon ;  "  take  the  checks." 

"  Do  these  go  to  the  hotel,  or "  The  man 

waited  for  directions. 

"  I  don't  —  that  is,"  said  the  poor  fellow,  "  I  real- 
ly    Just  wait  a  minute !  Judge,"  this  in  a  whis- 
per to  his  friend,  who  had  reached  his  side,  "  this  is 
terrible !  Where  do  I  want  to  go  ?  —  and  for  the 
love  of  Heaven,  where  does  this  hound  take  my  lug- 
gage?" 

"  Your  lodgings  at  the  Bellevale  House !  "  returned 
the  judge. 

"  To  my  lodgings  at  the  Bellevale  House,"  an- 
nounced Amidon. 

"  And  say,"  said  the  judge,  "  don't  look  that  way ; 
but  the  young  woman  in  the  one-horse  trap  across 
the  way  is  your  intended." 

"  No !  "  said  Amidon.  "  I  lifted  my  hat  to  her  — 
she  nodded  to  me,  you  know !  " 

"  The  devil!  "  said  the  judge;  "  I'll  bet  you  didn't 
put  any  more  warmth  than  a  clam  into  your  manner. 
Well,  you'll  have  to  go  over,  and  she'll  take  you  up- 

72 


IN  DARKEST  PENNSYLVANIA 

town,  I  suppose.  Don't  stay  with  her  long,  if  you 
can  help  it,  and  come  to  me  at  the  hotel  as  soon  as 
you  can.  She's  been  driving  over  to  see  who  got  off 
every  New  York  train  ever  since  I  came.  Go  to  her, 
and  may  the  Lord  be  merciful  to  you !  Here  are  these 
notes,  if  you  think  they'll  help  you  any  —  I've  added 
some  to  'em  since  I  got  down  here." 

Amidon  waved  a  contemptuous  rejection  of  the 
notes,  and,  casting  a  despairing  glance  at  Madame 
le  Claire,  walked  over  toward  his  fate.  He  could 
have  envied  the  lot  of  the  bull-fighter  advancing  into 
the  fearful  radius  of  action  of  a  pair  of  gory  horns. 
He  would  gladly  have  changed  places  with  the  gladi- 
ator who  hears  the  gnashing  of  bared  teeth  behind 
the  slowly-opening  cage  doors.  To  walk  up  to  the 
mouths  of  a  battery  of  hostile  Gatlings  would  have 
seemed  easy,  as  compared  with  this  present  act  of 
of  his,  which  was  nothing  more  than  stepping  to  the 
side  of  a  carriage  in  which  sat  a  girl,  for  a  place 
near  whom  any  unattached  young  man  in  Bellevale 
would  willingly  have  placed  his  eternal  welfare  in 
jeopardy. 

Point  by  point,  the  girl's  outward  seeming  met 
Amidon's  eyes  as  he  neared  her.  From  the  platform, 
it  was  an  impressionistic  view  of  a  well-kept  trap 

73 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

and  horse,  and  a  young  woman  wearing  a  picture- 
hat  with  a  sweeping  plume,  habited  in  a  gown  of 
modish  tailoring,  and  holding  the  reins  in  well-gaunt- 
leted  hands.  As  he  reached  the  middle  of  the  street- 
crossing,  the  face,  surmounted  by  dark  hair,  began 
to  show  its  salient  features  —  great  dark  eyes,  strong- 
ly-marked brows,  and  a  strong,  sweet  mouth  with 
vivid  lips.  Then  came  the  impression  of  a  form  held 
erect,  with  the  strong  shoulders  and  arms  which 
come  from  athletics,  and  the  roundnesses  which  denote 
that  superb  animal,  the  well-developed  woman.  But 
it  was  only  as  he  stood  by  the  side  of  the  carriage 
that  he  saw  and  felt  the  mingled  dignity  and  frank- 
ness, the  sureness  and  lightness  of  touch,  with  which 
she  acted  or  refrained  from  acting ;  the  lack  of  haste, 
the  temperateness  of  gesture  and  intonation,  which 
bespoke  in  a  moment  that  type  of  woman  which  is 
society's  finished  product. 

Her  lips  were  parted  in  a  half-smile;  the  great 
dark  eyes  sought  his  in  the  calling  glance  which  seeks 
its  companion;  and  in  the  face  and  voice  there  was 
something  tremulous,  vibrant  and  pleadingly  anxious. 
Yet  she  did  and  said  only  commonplaces.  She  gave 
him  her  hand,  and  threw  over  the  lap-robe  as  an  in- 
vitation for  him  to  take  the  seat  beside  her. 

74      ' 


IN  DARKEST  PENNSYLVANIA 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  back,  dear,"  said  she,  "  and 
a  little  surprised." 

"  I  hardly  expected  to  come  on  this  train,"  he  an- 
swered, "  until  the  very  hour  of  starting.  I  can  — 
hardly  say  —  how  glad  I  am  —  to  be  here." 

She  was  silent,  as  she  drove  among  the  drays  and 
omnibuses,  out  into  the  open  street.  He  looked 
searchingly,  though  furtively,  at  her,  and  blushed  as 
if  he  had  been  detected  in  staring  at  a  girl  in  the 
street  as  she  suddenly  looked  him  straight  in  the 
face. 

"  Have  you  been  ill,  Eugene  ?  "  said  she.  "  You 
look  so  worn  and  tired." 

"  I  have  had  a  very  hard  time  of  it  since  I  left," 
said  he ;  "  and  have  been  far  from  well." 

She  patted  him  lightly  with  her  glove. 

"  You  must  be  careful  of  yourself,"  said  she,  and 
paused  as  if  to  let  him  supply  her  reasons  for  so  say- 
ing. "  I  hope  your  trouble  is  over,  dear." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  he.  "  I  am  sure  that  after  a 
few  hours  in  my  rooms,  I  shall  be  quite  refreshed. 
Will  you  please  put  me  down  at  the  Bellevale  House  ? 
I  shall  beg  the  privilege  of  calling  soon." 

"  Why !  "  She  looked  swiftly  at  him,  looked  at  the 
horse,  and  again  at  him.  "  Soon?  "  she  went  on,  as 

75 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

if  astonished.  "  I  shall  be  alone  this  evening  —  if 
you  care  about  it !  " 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  said  he  confusedly,  "  this  evening, 
yes !  I  meant  sooner  —  in  a  few  minutes,  you  know !  " 

"  No,"  said  she,  in  that  tone  which  surely  denotes 
the  raising  of  the  drawbridge  of  pique ;  "  you  must 
rest  until  this  evening.  Who  is  the  old  gentleman 
who  has  been  waiting  two  or  three  days  to  see  you?  " 

"  Judge  Blodgett,  an  old  friend,"  said  he,  relieved 
to  find  some  matter  with  reference  to  which  he  could 
tell  the  truth. 

"  And  the  queer-looking  lady  —  do  you  know 
her?" 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  said  Amidon ;  "  she  is  a  good  friend, 
too." 

"  Ah ! "  the  girl  answered,  in  a  tone  which  said 
almost  anything,  but  was  not  by  any  means  without 
significance.  "  And  who  is  she  ?  " 

"  Her  professional  name  is  Madame  le  Claire ;  in 
private  life,  she  is  Miss  Blatherwick." 

"  I  didn't  see  the  rest  of  the  troupe,"  said  Miss 
Waldron  icily ;  "  or  perhaps  she's  an  elocutionist." 

"  No,"  said  Amidon,  "  she's  an  occultist  —  a  sort 
of  —  well,  a  hypnotist." 

There  was  a  long  pause  here,  during  which  they 
76 


IN  DARKEST  PENNSYLVANIA 

drew  near  to  the  big  brick  building  on  the  side  of 
which  Amidon  saw  the  sign  of  the  Bellevale  House. 

"  Also  an  old  friend  ?  "  inquired  Miss  Waldron. 

"  Oh,  no ! "  said  Florian ;  "  I  met  her  only  a  week 
or  two  ago." 

"  She  must  be  very  charming,"  said  Elizabeth, 
"  to  have  inspired  so  much  friendship  in  so  short  a 
time.  Here  we  are  at  the  hotel.  Do  you  really 
think  you'll  call  this  evening?  Au  revoir,  then." 

Even  the  unsophisticated  Amidon  could  perceive, 
now,  that  the  drawbridge  was  up,  the  portcullis  down, 
and  all  the  bars  and  shutters  of  the  castle  in  place. 
Moreover,  in  the  outer  darkness  in  which  he  moved, 
he  imagined  there  roamed  lions  and  wolves  and  raven- 
ing beasts  —  and  he  with  no  guide  but  Judge  Blod- 
gett,  who  stands  there  in  the  lobby,  so  wildly  beckon- 
ing to  him. 


77 


THE  WRONG  HOUSE 

When  Adam  strayed 

In  Eden's  bow'rs, 
One  little  maid 

Amused  his  hours. 
He  fell!     But,  friend, 

I  leave  to  you 
Where  he'd  have  dropped 

Had  there  been  two! 

—  Paradise  Rehypothecated. 

"  Now,  Florian,"  said  Judge  Blodgett,  as  they  sat 
in  Amidon's  rooms,  "  search  yourself,  and  see  if  you 
don't  feel  a  dreamy  sense  of  familiarity  here  in  these 
rooms  —  the  feeling  that  the  long-lost  heir  has  when 
he  crawls  down  the  chimney  as  a  sweep  and  finds  him- 
self in.  his  ancestral  halls,  you  know." 

"  Never  saw  a  thing  here  before,"  said  Amidon, 
t(  and  have  no  feeling  except  surprise  at  the  elegance 
about  me,  and  a  sneaking  fear  that  Brassfield  may 
come  in  at  anyj  time  and  eject  us.  The  fellow  had 
taste,  anyhow ! " 

"  Didn't  you  recognize  anything,"  went  on  the 
78 


THE  WRONG  HOUSE 

judge,  "  in  the  streets  or  buildings  or  the  general 
landscape?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  Nor  in  the  young  lady  ?  Wasn't  there  a  sort  of 
—  of  music  in  her  voice,  like  long- forgotten  melodies, 
you  understand  —  like  what  the  said  heir  notices  in 
after  years  when  his  mother  blunders  on  to  him?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Florian,  "  her  voice  is  musical,  if 
that's  what  you  mean  —  musical  and  low,  and  re- 
minds one  of  the  sounds  made  by  a  great  master 
playing  his  heart  out  in  the  lowest  notes  of  the  flute ; 
but  it  is  so  far  from  being  familiar  to  me  that  I'm 
quite  sure  I  never  heard  a  voice  like  it  before." 

The  judge  strode  up  and  down  the  room  perturb- 
edly. 

"  Why,"  said  he,  "  it's  enough  to  make  a  man's 
hair  stand !  " 

"  It  does,"  said  Amidon.  "  What  can  I  say  to 
her?" 

"  You  haven't  a  piece  of  property  here,"  said  the 
judge,  going  on  with  the  matters  uppermost  in  his 
mind,  "  that  you  could  successfully  maintain  replevin 
for,  if  anybody  converted  it.  They'd  ask  you  on 
cross-examination  if  it  was  yours,  and  you'd  have  to 
say  you  didn't  know !  And  there's  a  world  of  prop- 

79 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

erty,  I  find.  They  could  take  it  all  away  from  you 
without  your  knowing  it,  if  they  only  knew.  Have 
you  any  course  mapped  out  —  any  plans  ?  " 

"  To  a  certain  extent,  yes,"  said  Florian.  "  I  shall 
call  on  her  this  evening." 

"  For  help,  yes,"  said  the  judge.  "  She  must  bring 
Brassfield  up,  so  that  we  can  find  out  about  some 
property  matters." 

"  I  don't  mean  that,"  said  Amidon.  "  I  must  call 
on  Miss  Waldron  —  Elizabeth." 

"  And  neglect "  began  the  judge. 

"  Everything,"  said  Florian  firmly.  "  This  is 
something  that  concerns  my  honor  as  a  gentleman. 
While  it  remains  in  its  present  state,  I  can't  bother 
with  these  property  matters.  Have  I  an  office  ?  " 

"  Have  you !  "  said  the  judge.  "  Well,  just  wait 
until  you  see  them." 

"And  an  office  force?" 

"  Confidential  manager  named  Stevens,  as  per  the 
notes,"  said  Judge  Blodgett.  "  Bookkeeper,  assist- 
ant bookkeeper  and  stenographer.  Tried  to  pump 
'em  and  got  frozen  out.  Yes,  you've  got  an  office 
force." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Amidon,  "  we'll  go  down  there 
in  the  morning,  and  I'll  tell  this  man  Stevens  —  is 

80 


C/5 


O 

•d 


o 

•S 


THE  WRONG  HOUSE 

that  what  you  call  him?  —  to  show  you  all  through 
the  books  and  things  —  going  to  buy  or  take  a  part- 
nership, or  something.  Then  we  can  go  through  the 
business  together.  We  can  do  it  that  way,  without 
being  suspected,  can't  we  ?  " 

"  Maybe,"  meditatively,  "  maybe  we  can.  Take  a 
sort  of  invoice,  hey  ?  But  don't  you  think  we'd  better 
have  Brassfield  on  the  witness-stand  for  a  while  this 
evening?  A  sort  of  cramming  —  coaching  —  review, 
on  the  eve  of  trial,  you  know  ?  " 

"  No,  no !  "  answered  Florian.  "  No  more  of  that, 
if  it  can  be  avoided." 

The  judge  stroked  his  mustache  in  silence  for  a 
time. 

"  See  here,"  asked  he  finally,  "  what  did  we  bring 
madame  and  the  professor  down  here  for,  anyway,  I'd 
like  to  know  ?  " 

"  I  know,"  said  Amidon,  "  but,  somehow,  I  feel 
like  getting  along  without  it  if  I  can.  As  little  of 
her  —  of  their  —  services  as  possible,  Judge,  from 
now  on." 

"  Oh! "  said  the  judge,  in  a  tone  of  one  who  sud- 
denly sees  the  situation ;  "  all  right,  Florian,  all  right. 
Maybe  it's  best,  maybe  it's  best.  Abnormal  condi- 
tion, as  the  professor  says,  and  all  that;  effect  on 

81 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

the  mind,  and  one  thing  and  another.  Yes  —  yes  — 
yes!" 

"  If  I  have  any  duties  to  perform  here,  Judge,  you 
must  help  me  to  keep  straight.  I've  never  had  much 
tendency  to  go  wrong,  you  know,  but  that  was  for 
lack  of  temptation,  don't  you  think,  Blodgett?  " 

"  Well,  well,  Florian,  I  can't  say  as  to  that ;  can't 
say.  Yes  —  and  say !  You'll  want  to  go  over  to  the 
Waldron  residence  this  evening.  I'll  take  you  out 
and  show  you  the  house.  By  George !  It  must  seem 
extraordinarily  odd  to  walk  about  among  things  you 
are  supposed  to  know  like  a  book,  and  to  be,  in  fact, 
a  perfect  stranger.  Dante  could  have  used  that  idea, 
if  it  had  occurred  to  him." 

"  An  idea  for  Dante,  indeed ! "  thought  Amidon, 
as  he  walked  toward  the  house,  which,  from  afar,  the 
judge  had  pointed  out  to  him.  "For  the  Inferno: 
a  soul  thrown  into  a  realm  full  of  its  friends  and  ene- 
mies, its  loves  and  hates,  shorn  of  memory,  of  all  sense 
of  familiarity,  of  all  its  habits,  stripped  of  all  the 
protection  of  habitude.  For  the  Inferno,  indeed !  — 
Now  this  must  be  the  house,  with  the  white  columns 
running  up  to  the  top  of  the  second  story ;  crossing 
the  ravine  and  losing  sight  of  it  for  a  few  minutes 
makes  even  the  house  look  different.  Outside,  I  can 


THE  WRONG  HOUSE 

get  accustomed  to  it,  in  this  five-minute  inspection. 
But,  inside  —  oh,  to  be  invisible  while  I  get  used  to 
it !  Well,  here  goes !  " 

"  Ding-a-ling-ting-ting !  "  rang  the  bell  somewhere 
back  in  the  recesses  of  the  house,  and  the  footsteps 
of  a  man  approached  the  door.  Amidon  was  fright- 
ened. He  had  expected  either  Elizabeth  herself,  or  a 
maid  to  take  his  card,  and  was  prepared  for  such  an 
encounter  only.  A  little  dark,  bright-eyed  man 
opened  the  door  and  seized  his  hand. 

"  Why,  Brassfield,  how  are  you  ?  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  Heard  you'd  got  back.  Sorry  I  couldn't  meet  you 
in  New  York.  Got  my  telegram,  I  suppose?  " 

"  I  just  called,"  said  Amidon,  "  to  see  Miss  Wal- 
dron." 

"  Oh,  yes !  "  said  the  little  man ;  "  nothing  but  her, 
now.  But  she  isn't  here.  Hasn't  been  for  over  a 
week.  Nobody  here  but  me.  Can't  you  stay  a  while? 
Say,  'Gene,  we  put  Slater  through  the  lodge  while 
you  were  gone,  and  he  knows  he's  in,  all  right  enough. 
Bulliwinkle  took  that  part  of  yours  in  the  catacombs 
scene,  and  you  ought  to  have  heard  the  bones  of  the 
early  Christians  rattle  when  he  bellered  out  the  lec- 
ture. *  Here,  among  the  eternal  shades  of  the  deep 
caves  of  death,  walked  once  the  great  exemplars  of 

83 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

our  Ancient  Order ! '  Why,  it  would  raise  the  hair 
on  a  bronze  statue.  And  when,  in  the  second,  they 
condemned  him  to  the  Tarpeian  Rock,  and  swung 
him  off  into  space  in  the  Chest  of  the  Clanking 
Chains,  he  howled  so  that  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  made 
'em  saw  off  on  it,  and  take  him  out  —  and  he  could 
hardly  stand  to  receive  the  Grand  and  Awful  Secret. 
Limp  as  a  rag!  But  impressed?  Well,  he  said  it 
was  the  greatest  piece  of  ritualistic  work  he  ever  saw, 
and  he's  seen  most  of  'em.  Go  to  any  lodges  in  New 
York?" 

"  No,"  said  Amidon,  who  had  never  joined  a  secret 
order  in  his  life,  "  and  do  you  think  we  ought  to  talk 
these  things  out  here?  " 

"  No,  maybe  not,"  said  the  Joiner ;  "  but  nobody's 
about,  you  know.  Come  in,  can't  you  ?  " 

"  No,  I  must  really  go,  thank  you.  By  the  way," 
said  Florian,  "  where  does  Miss  —  er  —  I  must  go,  at 
once,  I  think !  " 

"  Oh,  I  know  how  it  is,"  went  on  his  unknown  inti- 
mate ;  "  nothing  but  Bess,  now.  Might  as  well  bid 
you  good-by,  and  give  you  a  dimit  from  all  the  clubs 
and  lodges,  until  six  months  after  the  wedding. 
You'll  be  back  by  that  time,  thirstier  than  ever.  By 
the  way,  that  reminds  me:  the  gang's  going  to  give 

84 


THE  WRONG  HOUSE 

you  a  blow-out  at  the  club.  Kind  of  an  Auld  lang 
syne  business,  *  champagny-vather  an'  cracked  ice,' 
chimes  at  midnight,  won't  go  home  till  morning,  all 
good  fellows  and  the  rest  of  it.  Edgington  spoke  to 
you  about  it,  I  s'pose  ?  " 

"  Only  in  a  general  way,"  replied  Amidon,  won- 
dering who  and  what  Edgington  would  turn  out  to 
be.  "  I  don't  know  yet  how  my  engagements  will 
be " 

"  Oh,  nothing  must  stand  in  the  way  of  that,  you 
know,"  the  little  man  went  on.  "  Why,  gad !  the 

tenderest  feelings  of  brotherly Oh,  you  don't 

mean  it!  But  I  mustn't  keep  you.  Bessie  told  me 
that  the  plans  for  your  house  have  come.  She's  got 
'em  over  there,  now.  I  say,  old  man,  I  envy  you 
your  evening.  Like  two  birds  arranging  the  nest. 
Sorry  you  can't  come  in;  but,  good  night.  And, 
say!  Your  little  strawberry  blonde  is  in  town! 
Wouldn't  that  jar  you?  " 

"Heavens!"  ejaculated  Amidon.  "How  am  I 
ever  to  get  through  with  this?  " 

The  genuine  agony  in  Florian's  tones  fixed  the  at- 
tention of  the  little  man,  and  seemed  to  arouse  some 
terrible  suspicion. 

"  Why,  'Gene,"  said  he,  "  you  don't  mean  that 
85 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

there's  anything  in  this  blonde  matter,  do  you,  that 

will By  George !  And  she's  a  sister  of  one  of 

the  most  prominent  A.  O.  C.  M.'s  of  Pittsburg — • 
and  you  remember  our  solemn  obligation !  " 

"  No,"  said  Amidon,  "  I  don't!  " 

"What!     You  don't!" 

"  No !  "  said  Florian.    "  I've  forgotten  it !  " 

"  Forgotten  it !  "  said  his  questioner,  recoiling  as  if 
in  horror.  "  Forgotten  it !  And  with  the  sister  of 
the  Past  Sovereign  Pontiff  of  Pittsburg  Lodge  No. 
863 !  I  tell  you,  Brassfield,  I  don't  believe  it.  I  pre- 
fer to  think  you're  bughouse!  Cracked!  Out  of 
your  head !  But,  'Gene,"  added  his  unknown  brother, 
in  a  stage-whisper,  "  if  there  has  been  anything  be- 
tween you  and  anything  comes  up,  you  know,  Jim 
Alvord,  for  one,  knowing  and  understanding  your 
temptations  —  for  the  strawberry  blondes  are  the 
very  devil  —  will  stand  by  you  until  the  frost  gathers 

six  inches  deep  on  the  very  hinges  of Say, 

Mary's  coming  in  at  the  side  door.  Good  night! 
Keep  a  stiff  upper  lip ;  stay  by  Bess,  and  I'll  stay  by 
you,  obligation  or  no  obligation.  *  F.  D.  and  B.% 
you  know:  death,  perhaps,  but  no  desertion!  So 
long!  See  you  to-morrow." 

And  Amidon  walked  from  the  house  of  his  unfa- 
86 


THE  WRONG  HOUSE 

miliar  chum,  knowing  that  his  sweetheart  but  Once 
seen  was  waiting  in  her  unknown  home  for  him  to 
come  to  her,  and  had  as  a  basis  for  conversation  the 
plans  for  their  house.  He  could  imagine  her  with  the 
blue-prints  unrolled,  examining  them  with  all  a  wom- 
an's interest  in  such  things,  and  himself  discussing 
with  her  this  house  in  which  she  expected  him  to  place 
her  as  mistress.  And  the  position  she  thought  she 

held    in    his    heart  —  vacant,    or He    leaned 

against  a  fence,  in  bewilderment  approaching  despair. 
His  mind  dwelt  with  horror  on  the  woman  whom 
he  could  think  of  only  under  the  coarse  appellation 
of  the  strawberry  blonde.  Was  there  a  real  crime 
here  to  take  the  place  of  the  imagined  putting  away 
of  Brassfield?  Brassfield!  The  very  name  sickened 
him.  "  Strawberry  blondes,  indeed ! "  thought  Flo- 
rian ;  and  "  Brassfield,  the  perjured  villain !  "  Certain 
names  used  by  the  little  man  in  the  wrong  house  came 
to  him  as  having  been  mentioned  in  the  notes  of  the 
professor  and  the  judge.  Alvord,  the  slangy  little 
chap  who  took  so  familiar  an  attitude  toward  him  — 
this  was  the  judge's  "  ministerial "  friend!  Yet,  had 
there  not  been  mention  of  "  ritualistic  work "  and 
"Early  Christians"  in  his  conversation?  And  this 
woman  of  whom  he  spoke, —  it  took  no  great  keenness 

87 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

of  perception  to  see  that  the  "  strawberry  blonde  " 
must  be  the  "  child  of  six  or  eight  years  "  whom  he 
had  called  "  Daisy,"  and  sometimes  "  Strawberry !  " 
Here  was  confirmation  of  Alvord's  suspicion,  if  his 
allusion  to  the  violation  of  an  "  obligation  "  expressed 
suspicion.  Here  was  a  situation  from  which  every 
fiber  of  Amidon's  nature  revolted,  seen  from  any  an- 
gle, whether  the  viewpoint  of  the  careful  banker  and 
pillar  of  society,  or  that  of  the  poetic  dreamer  wait- 
ing for  his  predestined  mate. 

In  a  paroxysm  of  dread,  he  started  for  the  hotel. 
Then  he  walked  down  the  street  toward  the  railway 
station,  with  the  thought  of  boarding  the  first  train 
out  of  town.  This  resolve,  however,  he  changed,  and 
I  am  glad  to  say  that  it  was  not  the  thought  of  the 
fortune  of  which  Judge  Blodgett  had  spoken  that 
altered  his  resolution,  but  that  of  the  letter  which 
greeted  his  return  to  consciousness  as  Florian  Ami- 
don,  and  the  image  of  the  dark-eyed  girl  with  the  low 
voice  and  the  strong  figure,  who  had  written  it,  and 
who  waited  for  him,  somewhere,  with  the  roll  of  plans. 
So  he  began  searching  again  for  the  house  with  the 
white  columns;  and  found  it  on  the  next  corner  be- 
yond the  one  he  had  first  tried. 

Elizabeth  sat  in  a  fit  of  depression  at  the  strange- 
88 


THE  WRONG  HOUSE 

ness  of  Mr.  Brassfield's  conduct  —  a  depression  which 
deepened  as  the  evening  wore  on  with  no  visit  from 
him.  She  sprang  to  her  feet  and  pressed  both  hands 
to  her  bosom,  at  the  ring  of  the  door-bell,  ran  lightly 
to  the  door  and  listened  as  the  servant  greeted  Mr. 
Brassfield,  and  then  hurried  back  to  her  seat  by  the 
grate,  and  became  so  absorbed  in  her  book  that  she 
was  oblivious  of  his  being  shown  into  the  room,  until 
the  maid  had  retired,  leaving  him  standing  at  gaze, 
his  brow  beaded  with  sweat,  his  face  pale  and  his 
hands  unsteady.  The  early  Christian  had  entered 
on  his  martyrdom. 


89 


XI 

THE   FIRST   BATTLE,  AND   DEFEAT 

From  Camelot  to  Cameliard 
The  way  by  bright  pavilions  starred, 
In  arms  and  armor  all  unmarred, 

To   Guinevere  rode  Lancelot  to   claim   for   Arthur   his* 
reward. 

Down  from  her  window  look't  the  maid 
To  see  her  bridegroom,  half  afraid  — 
In  him  saw  kingliness  arrayed: 

And  summoned  by  the  herald  Love  to  yield,  her  woman's 
heart  obeyed. 

From  Cameliard  to  Camelot 
Rode  Guinevere  and  Lancelot  — 
Ye  bright  pavilions,  babble  not! 

The  king   she   took,   she   keeps   for   king,   in   spite   of 
shame,  in  spite  of  blot! 

—  From  Cameliard  to  Camelot, 

It  is  a  disagreeable  duty  (one,  however,  which  you 
and  I,  madam,  discharge  with  a  conscientiousness 
which  the  unthinking  are  sometimes  unable  to  distin- 
guish from  zeal)  to  criticize  one's  friends.  The  task 
is  doubly  hard  when  the  animadversion  is  committed 
to  paper,  with  a  more  or  less  definite  idea  of  ultimate 

publication.    I  trust,  beloved,  that  we  may  call  Mr. 

90 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE,  AND  DEFEAT 

Florian  Amidon  a  friend.  He  is  an  honest  fellow  as 
the  world  goes,  in  spite  of  the  testimony  of  Simeon 
Woolaver  regarding  the  steers;  and  he  wishes  to  do 
the  right  thing.  In  a  matter  of  business,  now,  or  on 
any  question  of  films,  plates  or  lenses,  we  should  find 
him  full  of  decision,  just  and  prompt  in  action.  But 
(and  the  disagreeable  duty  of  censure  comes  in  here) 
there  he  stands  like  a  Stoughton-bottle  in  a  most  ab- 
ject state  of  woe,  because,  forsooth,  he  possesses  the 
love  of  that  budding  Juno  over  there  by  the  grate, 
and  knows  not  what  to  do  with  it !  What  if  he  doesn't 
feel  as  if  he  had  the  slightest  personal  acquaintance 
with  her?  What  if  the  image  of  another,  and  the 

thought ?     But  look  with  me,  for  a  moment,  at 

the  situation. 

There  she  sits,  so  attentive  to  her  book  (is  it  the 
Rubaiyat?  Yes!)  that  his  entrance  has  not  attracted 
her  notice  —  not  at  all !  One  shapely  patent-leather 
is  stretched  out  to  the  fender,  and  the  creamy  silk  of 
the  gown  happens  to  be  drawn  back  so  as  to  show 
the  slender  ankle,  and  a  glimpse  of  black  above  the 
leather.  The  desire  for  exactness  alone  compels  a  ref- 
erence to  the  fact  that  the  boundary  lines  of  this 
silhouetted  black  area  diverge  perceptibly  as  they 
recede  from  the  shoe.  It  is  only  a  detail,  but  even 

91 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Florian  notices  it,  and  thinks  about  it  afterward. 
Her  face  is  turned  toward  the  shadows  up  there  by 
the  window,  her  eyes  looking  at  space,  as  if  in  quest 
of  Irani  and  his  Rose,  or  Jamshyd  and  his  Sev'n- 
ring'd  Cup,  or  the  solution  of  the  Master-knot  of 
Human  Fate.  The  unconscious  pose  showing  the  in- 
curved spine,  and  the  arms  and  shoulders  glimpsing 
through  falls  of  lace  at  sleeve  and  corsage,  would 
make  the  fortune  of  the  photographer-in-ordinary  to 
a  professional  beauty.  And  yet  that  man  Amidon 
stands  there  like  a  graven  image,  and  fears  to  rush  in 
where  an  angel  has  folded  her  wings  for  him  and 
rests ! 

He  knows  that  he  is  expected  to  claim  some  of  the 
privileges  of  the  long-absent  lover.  He  has  some 
information  as  to  their  nature.  His  eyes  ought  to 
apprise  him  (as  they  do  us,  my  boy!)  of  their  pre- 
ciousness.  He  is  not  without  knowledge  concerning 
past  conduct  of  that  type  which,  beginning  in  hard- 
won  privileges,  ripens  into  priceless  duties,  not  to  dis- 
charge which  is  insult  all  the  more  bitter  because  it 
is  not  to  be  mentioned.  It  is  not  to  be  denied  that 
the  tableau  appeals  to  him ;  and  because  another  wom- 
an has  lately  touched  him  in  a  similar  way,  he  stands 
there  and  condemns  himself  for  that !  There  is  small 

93 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE,  AND  DEFEAT 

excuse  for  him,  I  admit,  sir.  Her  first  token  of  his 
presence  should  have  been  a  kiss  on  the  snowy  shoul- 
der. You  suggest  the  hair?  Well,  the  hair,  then, 

though  for  my  part,  I  have  always  felt But 

never  mind !     Had  it  been  you  or  I  in  his  place • 

Yes,  my  dear,  this  digression  is  becoming  tedious. 
Let  us  proceed  with  the  story. 

Elizabeth  rose  with  a  little  start  of  surprise,  a  little 
flutter  of  the  bosom,  and  came  forward  with  extended 
hands.  He  took  them  with  a  trembling  grasp  which 
might  well  have  passed  as  evidence  of  fervor. 

"  Ah,  Eugene,"  said  she,  holding  him  away,  "  it 
has  seemed  an  age !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  he  truthfully,  "  an  eternity,  almost." 

"  Sit  down  by  the  fire,"  said  she,  in  that  low  voice 
which  means  so  much.  "  You  are  cold." 

"  I  am  a  little  cold,"  he  replied.  "  I  must  have 
remained  outside  too  long." 

"  Y-e-s  ?  "  she  returned ;  and  after  a  long  pause : 
"  It  doesn't  seem  to  take  long  —  sometimes.  And  the 
wind  is  in  the  east." 

Now,  when  a  bride-elect  begins  to  deal  in  double 
meanings  of  this  sort  with  her  fiance,  the  course  of 
true  love  is  likely  to  be  entering  on  a  piece  of  rough 
road-bed. 

93 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  How  did  you  find  Estelle  when  you  called  ?  " 

Estelle?  Estelle?  Estelle!  Nothing  in  Blodgett 
and  Blatherwick's  notes  about  Estelle.  "  A  whole 
directory  of  names,"  as  Judge  Blodgett  had  said,  but 
no  Estelle.  The  world  full  of  useless  people  —  a  bil- 
lion and  a  half  of  them  —  and  not  an  Estelle  at  poor 
Amidon's  call  in  this  time  of  need.  Hence  this  long 
hiatus  in  the  conversation. 

"  Really,  Miss  —  er  —  a  —  my  dear,  I  haven't 
had  time  to  call  on  any  one." 

"  It  will  be  a  little  hard  to  explain,"  said  she  after 
a  silence,  "  to  my  prospective  bridesmaid  and  dearest 
friend,  that  you  were  so  long  in  New  York  and  could 
not  call.  It  is  not  quite  like  you,  Eugene." 

He  was  sitting  where  he  could  see  her  well,  and 
because  she  looked  into  the  fire  a  good  deal,  he  found 
himself  gazing  fixedly  at  her.  Her  manifold  perfec- 
tions filled  him  with  the  same  feeling  of  astonishment 
experienced  by  that  beggar  who  awoke  in  the  prince's 
chamber,  clothed  in  splendor,  and  with  a  royal  domain 
in  fee. 

(Personally,  I  regard  the  domain  which  spread  it- 
self before  Amidon,  as  imperial.) 

As  she  pronounced  her  gentle  reproof,  her  eyes 
turned  to  his,  and  he  started  guiltily. 

94 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE,  AND  DEFEAT 

"  No,"  he  confessed,  "  it  was  not  the  right  thing. 
You  must  forgive  me,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  I  hope,"  said  she,  smiling,  "  I  may  be  able  to  do 
more  than  that:  maybe  I  shall  be  so  fortunate  as  to 
get  you  Estelle's  forgiveness." 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said ;  and  then  seeking  for  safer 
ground :  "  Haven't  you  something  for  us  to  look 
over  —  some  plans  or  something?" 

"  *  Or  something5 !  "  she  repeated  with  a  ripple  of 
laughter. 

It  was  the  first  time  he  had  heard  this  laugh;  and 
Marot's  lines  ran  through  his  mind: 

"  Good  God !  'twould  make  the  very  streets  and  ways 
Through  which  she  passes,  burst  into  a  pleasure! 

No  spell  were  wanting  from  the  dead  to  raise  me, 
But  only  that  sweet  laugh  wherewith  she  slays  me!  " 

"  *  Or  something ! '  "  she  repeated,  I  say ;  "  it  might 
just  as  well  be  the  profiles  of  a  new  pipe-line  survey, 
for  all  the  interest  you  take  in  it.  I  oughtn't  to  look 
at  them  with  you ;  but  come,  they're  over  here  on  the 
table." 

Somehow,  this  lady's  air  required  the  deferential 
offer  of  his  arm ;  and  somehow,  the  deference  seemed 
to  please  her.  So  he  felt  that  the  tension  was  lessened 

95 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

as  she  turned  over  the  blue-prints.  Moreover,  in  mat- 
ters of  architecture  he  felt  at  home  —  if  he  could 
only  steer  clear  of  any  discussion  of  the  grounds.  He 
had  no  idea  of  the  location  of  these. 

Soon  their  heads  were  close  together  over  the  plans. 
A  dozen  times  her  hair  brushed  his  lips,  two  or  three 
times  his  fingers  touched  the  satin  skin  of  her  arms 
and  shoulders,  and  all  the  time  he  felt  himself  within 
the  magic  atmosphere  which  enwraps  so  divine  a  maid- 
en, as  odorous  breezes  clothe  the  shores  of  Ceylon. 
Her  breath,  the  faint  sweet  perfume  in  her  hair,  the 
soft  frou-frou  of  her  skirts,  the  appealing  lowness 
of  her  voice  —  all  these  wrought  strongly  on  Flo- 
rian;  and  when  she  leaned  lightly  upon  him  as  she 
reached  past  him  for  one  of  the  sheets,  he  felt  (I 
record  it  to  his  credit)  as  if  he  must  take  her  to  his 
arms,  and  complete  the  embrace  she  had  involuntarily 
half  begun.  But  the  feeling  that  she  was,  after  all, 
a  strange  young  girl,  and  was  revealing  herself  to 
him  altogether  under  a  mistake  as  to  his  identity,  re- 
strained him. 

She  did  not  lean  against  him  any  more. 

There  were  some  little  improvements  in  the  plans 
which  had  occurred  to  Elizabeth,  especially  in  the 
arrangement  of  kitchen,  pantry  and  laundry. 

96 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE,  AND  DEFEAT 

"  I'll  have  the  architect  come  and  see  you  about 
these,"  said  Amidon. 

"  What !  "  said  she,  in  apparent  astonishment  — 
"from  Boston?" 

"  Ah  —  well,"  he  stammered,  "  I  didn't  know  — 
that  is Yes,  from  Boston !  We  want  these  mat- 
ters as  you  want  them,  you  know,  if  it  were  from 
Paris  or  Calcutta.  And  I  think  there  should  be  some 
provision  for  prism-glass  to  light  up  the  library.  It 
could  be  cut  in  right  there  on  that  north  exposure; 
don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  and  what  an  improvement  it  will  be ! " 
she  replied.  "  And  may  I  have  all  the  editions  of 
Browning  I  want,  even  if  I  couldn't  explain  what 
Childe  Roland  to  the  Dark  Tower  Came  means  ?  " 

"  Oh,  does  that  point  puzzle  you  ?  "  exclaimed  Flo- 
rian,  greeting  the  allusion  to  Browning  as  the  war- 
horse  welcomes  the  battle.  "  Then  you  have  never 
chanced  to  run  across  the  first  edition  of  Child's  Scot- 
tish Ballads.  You  get  the  story  there,  of  Childe 
Roland  following  up  the  quest  for  his  sister,  shut  up 
by  enchantment  in  the  Dark  Tower,  in  searching  for 
which  his  brothers  —  Cuthbert  and  Giles,  you  remem- 
ber, and  the  rest  of  c  The  Band  ' —  had  been  lost.  He 
must  blow  a  certain  horn  before  it,  in  a  certain  way 

97 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

—  you  know  how  it  goes,  '  Dauntless  the  slug-horn 
to  my  lips  I  set ! '  It's  quite  obvious  when  you  know 
the  story,  and  not  a  bit  of  an  enigma.  The  line  in 
Lear  shows  that  the  verses  must  have  been  commonly 
sung  in  Shakespeare's  time " 

The  girl  was  looking  at  him  with  something  like 
amazement;  but  her  answer  referred  to  the  matter  of 
his  discourse. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  I  can  see  now  how  the  '  Dark 
Tower*  lightens  up.  I  must  read  it  again  in  the 
light  of  this  explanation  of  yours.  Shall  we  read  it 
together,  soon  ?  " 

"  Oh,  by  all  means !  "  said  he.  "  Only  I  warn  you 
I  never  tire  when  I  find  any  one  who  will  study 
Browning  with  me.  I  tried  to  read  The  Ring  and 
the  Book  with  a  dear  friend  once,  and  reading  my 
favorite  part,  *  Giuseppe  Caponsacchi,'  as  I  raised 
my  eyes  after  that  heartbreaking  finale,  '  O,  great, 
just,  good  God !  Miserable  me ! '  I  saw  she  was  doz- 
ing. Since  then,  I  read  Browning  with  his  lovers 
only » 

"  Yes,  you  are  right  in  that.  But,  Eugene,"  she 
exclaimed,  "  you  said  to  me  many  times  that  his  verse 
was  rot,  that  Nordau  ought  to  have  included  him  in 
his  gallery  of  degenerates,  that  he  is  muddy,  and 

98 


that  there  isn't  a  line  of  poetry  in  his  works  so  far  as 
you  have  been  able  to  dig  into  them.  And  you  cited 
Childe  Roland  as  proof  of  all  of  this !  And  you  never 
would,  listen  to  any  of  Browning,  even  when  we  al- 
most quarreled  about  it!  Now,  if  that  was  because 
Why,  it  was !  " 

She  paused  as  if  afraid  she  might  say  too  much. 
Florian,  who  had  rallied  in  his  literary  enthusiasm, 
collapsed  into  his  chronic  state  of  terror.  Even  in 
so  impersonal  a  thing  as  Browning,  the  man  who 
does  not  know  what  his  habits  are  takes  every  step  at 
his  peril. 

"Oh,  that  that  I  said!"  he  stammered.  "Yes 
—  yes.  Well,  there  are  obscurities,  you  know.  Even 
Mr.  Birrell  admits  that.  But  on  the  whole,  don't  you 
agree  with  me?  " 

"  Quite,"  said  she  dryly ;  "  if  I  understand  you." 

There  was  an  implied  doubt  as  to  her  understand- 
ing of  his  position,  and  the  only  thing  made  clear 
was  that  the  drawbridge  was  up  again.  So  Florian 
began  talking  of  the  plans.  He  grew  eloquent  on 
ventilators,  bath-rooms  and  plumbing.  He  drew  fine 
and  learned  distinctions  between  styles. 

"  The  colonial,"  said  he,  "  is  not  good  unless  in- 
dulged in  in  great  moderation.  Now,  what  I  like 

99 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

about  this  is  the  way  in  which  ultra-colonialism  is 
held  in  check,  and  modified  in  the  direction  of  the 
Greek  ideal.  Those  columns,  supporting  the  broad 
portico,  hark  back  to  the  Parthenon,  don't  they?  I 
like  that  taste  and  flavor  of  the  classic." 

She  listened  in  much  the  same  wondering  way  in 
which  she  had  regarded  him  at  the  beginning  of  his 
outburst  on  Browning.  Was  it  possible  that,  after 
all,  this  lover  of  hers,  whose  antecedents  were  so  little 
known,  but  whose  five  years  of  successful  life  in  Belle- 
vale  had  won  for  him  that  confidence  of  his  townsmen 
in  which  she  had  partaken,  was,  after  all,  possessed 
of  some  of  those  tastes  in  art  and  literature,  the  ab- 
sence of  which  had  been  the  one  thing  lacking  in 
his  character,  as  it  appeared  to  her?  It  would  seem 
so.  And  yet,  why  had  he  concealed  these  things  from 
her,  who  so  passionately  longed  for  intellectual  com- 
panionship? Somehow,  resentment  crept  into  her 
heart  as  she  looked  at  him,  and  there  was  something 
in  his  attitude  which  was  not  frank  and  bold,  as  she 
liked  to  see  a  man  —  but  this  would  not  do.  He  was 
so  lovely  in  his  provision  for  the  future,  and  surely 
his  conversation  disclosed  that  he  had  those  tastes  and 
that  knowledge ! 

"  I  think  the  moon  must  be  letting  me  look  at  its 
100 


Vast  and  complete  was  the  system  of  notes  built  up  by  the  professor 
and  the  judge  Page  57 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE,  AND  DEFEAT 

other  side  to-night,"  said  she.  "  Have  you  been  sav- 
ing up  the  artist  and  poet  in  you,  to  show  them  to 
me  now  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  he,  "  not  at  all  —  why,  any  one 
knows  these  little  things.  Now  let's  go  through  the 
arrangement  of  the  chambers;  shall  we?" 

"  Not  to-night,  if  you  please.  Let  us  sit  by  the 
fire  again.  It  will  be  a  grand  house,  dear.  Some- 
times I  think,  too  grand  for  Bellevale ;  and  quite  often 
I  feel,  too  grand,  too  elegant  —  for  me." 

"  Who  then,"  answered  Florian,  who  saw  his  con- 
versational duty,  a  dead-sure  thing,  and  went  for 
it  there  and  then,  "  who  then  could  have  such  a 
house,  or  ought  to  have  it,  if  not  you  ?  " 

The  girl  looked  questioningly,  pathetically  at  him, 
as  if  she  missed  something  of  the  convincing  in  his 
words. 

"  To  deny  that  you  feel  so  —  felt  so  about  it  when 
you  gave  orders  for  the  building,  would  be  foolish," 
said  she  at  last.  "  And  it  was  very  dear  of  you  to  do 
it.  But  once  a  man,  having  a  little  gem  which  he 
thought  of  perfect  water,  placed  it  in  a  setting  so 
large  and  so  cunningly  wrought  that  nobody  ever 
saw  the  little  stone,  unless  it  was  pointed  out  to  them." 

"  He  saw  it,"  said  Florian,  "  whenever  he  wanted 
101 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

to  —  and  no  setting  can  be  too  beautiful  for  a  moon- 
stone." 

He  felt  that  he  was  rallying  nobly. 

"  Really,"  he  thought,  "  I  am  getting  quite  ar- 
dent. And  under  different  circumstances,  I  could  be 
so  in  the  utmost  good  faith ;  for  I  know  she's  as  good 
and  true  as  she  is  queenly  and  beautiful.  But  after 
all,  it  is  duty,  only,  and " 

"  In  such  a  house,"  she  went  on,  "  people  may  live 
a  little  closer  than  acquaintances,  or  not  quite  so 
close,  as  the  case  may  be,  with  their  lives  diluted  by 
their  many  possessions." 

"  Yes  ?  "  said  he  expectantly. 

"  Before  it  comes  to  that,"  she  burst  forth,  her 
eyes  wide  and  her  hands  clasped  in  her  lap,  "  I  want 
to  die!  I  could  gather  the  fagots  for  the  fire,  and 
cuddle  down  by  it  on  a  heap  of  straw  by  the  roadside, 
with  the  man  I  love;  and  if  I  knew  he  loved  me,  he 
might  beat  me,  and  I  would  bear  it,  and  be  happy  in 
his  strength  —  far  happier  than  in  those  chambers 
you  spoke  of  a  moment  ago,  with  an  acquaintance 
who  merely  happened  to  be  called  a  husband!  I 
would  rather  walk  the  streets  than  that !  " 

Now,  a  lovers'  quarrel  requires  lovers  on  both  sides. 
Had  Amidon  really  been  one,  this  crisis  would  have 

102 


THE  FIRST  BATTLE,  AND  DEFEAT 

passed  naturally  on  to  protestation,  counter-protesta- 
tion, tears,  kisses,  embraces,  reconciliation.  But  all 
these  things  take  place  through  the  interplay  of  in- 
stincts, none  of  which  was  awakened  in  Florian.  So 
he  sat  forlorn,  and  said  nothing. 

"  I  am  going  to  let  you  go  home,  now,"  said  she, 
rising.  "  I  gave  out  the  date  of  the  wedding,  as  you 
requested,  the  day  after  you  went  away.  If  it  were 
not  for  that,  I  should  ask  you  to  wait  a  while  —  until 
the  house  is  finished  —  or  even  longer.  As  it  is,  you 
mustn't  be  surprised  if  I  say  something  surprising  to 
you  soon." 

"I  —  I  assure  you "  began  Amidon.  "  Good 

night,  my ' 

He  had  schooled  himself  for  this  farewell,  and  re- 
membering what  Madame  le  Claire  had  told  him,  had 
decided  on  a  course  of  action.  The  two  had  walked 
out  into  the  hall  and  he  had  put  on  his  top-coat.  Now 
he  went  bravely  up  to  her  and  stooped  to  kiss  her. 

She  raised  her  face  to  his,  and  again  the  feeling 
that  this  man  was  only  a  mere  acquaintance  passed 
into  her  being,  as  she  looked  into  his  eyes.  She 
turned  her  lips  away.  But  Florian,  as  the  feeling  of 
strangeness  impressed  her,  lost  it  himself  in  the  con- 
templation, brief  but  irresistible,  of  the  upturned  lips 

103 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

with  their  momentary  invitation  so  soon  withdrawn. 
The  primal  man  in  him  awoke.  His  arm  tightened 
about  the  lissome  waist ;  the  divine  form  in  the  creamy 
silk,  on  which  he  had  only  now  almost  feared  to 
look,  he  drew  to  him  so  tightly  as  almost  to  crush 
her;  and  with  one  palm  he  raised  the  averted  face  to 
his,  and  made  deliberate  conquest  of  the  lips  of  vivid 
red.  Once,  twice,  three  times  —  and  then  she  put  her 
hands  against  his  shoulders  and  pushed  him  away. 
Her  face  flamed. 

"  Eugene !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  how " 

"  Good   night ! "  he  answered,  "  my   dearest,   my 
darling,  good  night !  " 

And  he  ran  down  the  street,  in   such  a  conflict 
of  emotions  that  he  hardly  knew  whither  he  went. 


104 


XII 

ON    THE    FIRM    GROUND    OF    BUSINESS 

O  merry  it  was  in  the  good  greenwood  when  the  goblin  and 

sprite  ranged  free, 
When  the  kelpie  haunted  the  shadowed  flood,  and  the  dryad 

dwelt  in  the  tree; 
But  merrier  far  is  the  trolley-car  as  it  routs  the  witch  from 

the  wold, 
And  the  din   of  the  hammer  and  the  cartridges'  clamor  as 

they  banish  the  swart  kobold! 
O,  a  sovran  cure  for  psychic  dizziness 
Is  a  breath  of  the  air  of  the  world  of  business! 

—  Idyls  of  a  Sky-Scraper. 

It  is  recorded  in  the  last  chapter  that  Mr.  Amidon 
ran  from  Miss  Waldron's  presence  in  such  a  state  of 
agitation  that  he  hardly  knew  whither  he  went.  To 
the  reader  who  wonders  why  he  was  agitated,  I  have 
only  to  hint  that  he  was  wretchedly  inexperienced. 
And  as  it  was,  he  soon  got  his  bearings  and  walked 
briskly  toward  his  hotel;  still,  however,  in  a  state  of 
mind  entirely  new  to  him. 

Gradually  he  lessened  his  gait,  absorbed  in  mental 
reconstructions  of  his  parting  with  Elizabeth.  The 

pet  lion  which,  while  affectionately  licking  the  hand 

105 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

which  caresses  it,  brings  the  blood,  and  at  the  taste 
reverts  instantly  to  its  normal  savagery,  is  acted  on 
by  impulses  much  like  those  of  Amidon.  His  thoughts 
were  successions  of  moving  pictures  of  the  splendid 
girl  whom  he  had  held  in  his  arms  and  kissed.  He 
saw  her  sitting  by  the  fire  as  he  entered.  His  mind's 
eye  dwelt  on  the  image  of  the  strong,  full  figure 
and  the  lovely  head  and  wondrous  eyes.  He  felt  her 
lean  against  him  as  they  stood  by  the  table,  and  his 
arms  fairly  ached  with  the  thrill  of  that  parting  em- 
brace. His  lips  throbbed  still  with  the  half -ravished 
kisses,  and  he  stopped  with  an  insane  impulse  to  re- 
turn and  repeat  the  tender  robbery.  Then,  wonder- 
ing at  the  turbulence  of  his  thoughts,  he  walked  on. 
During  this  pause,  he  was  dimly  conscious  that  a 
person  whom  he  had  seen  approaching  had  neared 
the  point  of  meeting,  and  after  a  moment's  halt,  had 
passed  on.  As  he  resumed  his  walk,  he  heard  rapid 
steps  behind  him,  and  was  passed  by  a  man  who 
strongly  resembled  the  passenger  whom  he  had  just 
met.  This  figure  turned  a  corner  a  few  rods  in  ad- 
vance of  Florian,  and  almost  immediately  reemerged ; 
having  turned,  apparently,  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
countering Amidon  once  more.  This  time,  he  walked 
up,  and  halted,  facing  Amidon. 

106 


ON  THE  FIRM  GROUND  OF  BUSINESS 

"  You'll  be  at  the  office  in  the  morning,  I  suppose, 
Mr.  Brassfield?  "  said  the  man. 

"At  the  office?"  said  Amidon.  "My  office? 
Yes." 

"  Well,"  this  new  acquaintance  proceeded,  in  tones 
which  indicated  a  profound  sense  of  personal  injury, 
"  you'd  better  come  prepared  to  fill  my  place  in  the 
establishment  as  soon  as  possible." 

This  statement  was  followed  by  a  pause  of  the  sort 
usually  adopted  for  the  purpose  of  noting  the  effect 
of  some  startling  utterance.  Amidon  was  feeling  in 
his  pocket  for  Elizabeth's  first-found  letter,  and  the 
affairs  of  the  Brassfield  Oil  Company  had  little  inter- 
est for  him.  Yet  he  dimly  realized  that  some  one  was 
resigning  something. 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  he  musingly ;  "  what  —  what 
do  you  do? " 

The  man  gave  a  sort  of  hop,  of  the  kind  we  have 
been  taught  to  expect  of  the  stag  when  the  bullet 
strikes  him. 

"Do?  "he  snorted.  "  What  do  I  do?  What  do  / 

do?  Do  you  mean  to I'll  tell  what  I  do!  I 

get  together  options  for  you  and  send  you  cipher 
telegrams  about  'em,  and  don't  get  any  answers!  I 
attend  stock-holders'  meetings  and  get  whipsawed  by 

107 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

minorities  because  you  are  dead  to  the  world  off  there 
in  New  York,  or  the  Lord  knows  where,  and  don't 
furnish  me  with  proxies !  I  stay  here  and  try  to  pro- 
tect your  interests  when  you  desert  'em,  and  you  send 
some  white-headed  old  reprobate  of  a  Pinkerton  man 
to  shadow  me  for  a  week  and  try  to  pry  into  my 
work!  And  when  you  get  home  you  never  show  up 
at  the  counting-room,  though  you  know  what  a  pickle 
things  are  in;  and  when  I  meet  you  on  the  street,  I 
get  cut  dead :  that's  what  I  do !  And  I  stand  it,  do  I  ? 
Ha,  ha,  ha!  Not  if  J.  B.  Stevens  knows  himself,  I 
don't!  Good  night,  Mr.  Brassfield.  Come  round  in 
the  morning,  and  I'll  show  you  what  I  do ! " 

After  the  speaker  had  rushed  away,  which  he  in- 
continently did  following  this  outburst,  Amidon's 
mind  reverted  to  Elizabeth;  and  not  until  he  had 
reached  his  room  did  his  thoughts  return  to  his  en- 
counter in  the  street ;  and  then  it  was  only  to  wonder 
if  this  man  Stevens  was  really  of  any  importance, 
and  if  a  breach  with  him  was  a  matter  of  any  con- 
sequence. 

His  mind  soon  drifted  off  from  this,  however,  and 
he  got  out  of  bed  to  turn  on  the  lights  and  read  the 
above-mentioned  letter.  And  as  he  read  it,  he  grew 
ashamed.  That  embrace,  those  kisses,  now  seemed 

108 


ON  THE  FIRM  GROUND  OF  BUSINESS 

an  outrage  to  him.  Was  this  his  return  for  the  sweet 
confidences,  the  revelations  of  hidden  things,  with 
which  she  had  honored  him  ?  "  You  must  forget 
this,"  she  had  written,  "  only  at  such  times  of  ten- 
derness as  you  will  sometimes  have  when  you  are 
gone,"  and :  "  When  you  see  me  again, 
without  a  word  or  look  from  me,  know  me,  even  more 
than  you  now  do,  yours."  And  after  this,  he  had 
permitted  her  allurement  to  fly  to  his  brain,  and  had 
given  her  reason  to  think  that  because  she  had  low- 
ered her  guard,  he  had  struck  her  a  dastard's  blow. 
His  eyes  grew  soft  with  pity,  and  they  moistened,  as 
he  repeated  to  himself,  "  Poor  little  girl !  poor  little 
girl!" 

Oh,  yes!  doubtless  it  was  silly  of  him;  but  please 
to  remember  that  he  was  quite  as  far  from  being 
blase  as  —  as  we  used  to  be ;  and  that  he  was  just 
now  becoming  really  in  love  with  Elizabeth.  And 
love  is  much  nearer  kin  to  pity  than  pity  is  to  love. 
So  he  lay  there  and  pitied  Elizabeth,  and  wondered 
when  the  wedding  was  to  be.  He  must  have  Clara 
find  this  out  from  Brassfield.  And  he  thought  regret- 
fully of  Madame  le  Claire.  His  reflections  thus 
touched  on  the  two  most  unhappy  women  in  Belle- 
vale. 

109 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

To  the  hypnotist  he  had  become  so  much  more 
than  a  "  case,"  merely,  that  a  revulsion  of  feeling 
was  setting  in  against  bringing  him  here  to  be  turned 
over  to  a  woman  for  whom  he  cared  nothing.  It  was 
a  shame,  she  thought.  It  was  something  which  no 
one  had  a  right  to  expect  of  any  girl. 

And  Elizabeth  Waldron  still  sat  by  the  dying  fire, 
her  heart  full  of  a  fighting  which  would  not  let  her 
sleep.  She  felt  humbled  and  insulted,  and  her  face 
burned  as  did  her  heart.  But  all  the  time  she  felt 
angry  with  herself  for  her  inconsistency.  She  had 
longed  for  Eugene's  letters,  and  when  they  came,  so 
few  and  cold,  she  was  grieved.  She  had  expected  a 
dozen  little  caresses,  even  before  he  left  her  carriage; 
and  she  was  saddened  because  she  missed  them.  She 
had  thought  of  his  coming  in  on  her  in  a  manner 
quite  different  from  that  in  which  he  had  actually 
crept  into  her  presence  —  and  when  he  had  only 
pressed  her  hands,  she  had  felt  defrauded  and  robbed. 
And  when  at  parting  he  had  done  (somewhat  forc- 
ibly, it  is  true)  what  she  had  many  times  allowed, 
and  what  she  had  all  the  time  wanted  of  him,  she 
felt  outraged  and  offended! 

These  thoughts  kept  her  long  by  the  fire,  and  ac- 
companied her  to  her  chamber.  "  Elizabeth  Wal- 

110 


ON  THE  FIRM  GROUND  OF  BUSINESS 

dron,"  said  she  to  her  mirror,  "  you  are  going  insane ! 
Aren't  you  ashamed  that  now,  when  he  has  shown  his 
love  and  understanding  of  the  things  you  love  and 
try  to  understand,  and  surprised  you  by  the  posses- 
sion of  the  very  qualities  you  have  felt  secretly  re- 
gretful on  account  of  his  not  having  —  that  you  feel 

—  that  way  ?    What  ails  you,  that  you  begin  to  feel 
toward  the  dearest  man  in  all  the  world  as  if  he  were 
a  stranger  ?  —  Ah,  but  you  do,  you  do !     And  you'll 
never  be  happy  with  him,  nor  even  make  him  happy ! 

—  And,  oh,  that  letter,  that  letter!     That  awful  let- 
ter for  him  to  read  on  the  cars!     If  you  had  never 
written  that ! " 

"  What's  my  manager's  name  —  Stevens  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Amidon  of  Judge  Blodgett.  "Yes?  Well,  I'm 
going  to  have  trouble  with  him!  I  won't  be  bullied 
by  my  clerks.  And  who  is  the  next  man  ?  " 

"  Alderson,"  said  the  judge.  "  It's  all  in  the  notes, 
you  know." 

"  And  very  convenient,  too,"  said  Amidon.  "  And 
who  is  the  stenographer?  " 

"  Miss  Strong,"  answered  the  judge. 

"  Strong,  Strong,"  said  Amidon  musingly.  "  The, 
author,  I  believe,  by  the  notes  ?  " 

111 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  I  never  said  she  was !  "  protested  the  judge.  "  Not 
positively,  but  only " 

"  Well,  let's  go  down  —  or  perhaps  I  had  better 
go  alone,"  said  Florian.  "  Please  come  down  in  an 
hour  or  so,  won't  you  ?  " 

The  judge  noted  for  the  first  time  the  decision  of 
returning  confidence  in  Amidon's  manner.  Two 
things  contributed  to  this :  the  first  was  the  sense  of 
something  tangible  and  intelligible  in  this  going  down 
to  business  in  the  morning  like  an  ordinary  Ameri- 
can; and  the  other  was  rising  anger  at  the  attack 
made  on  him  by  this  man  Stevens  in  the  street  last 
night.  What  sort  of  discipline  can  there  be  in  the 
business,  thought  he,  when  an  employee  dares  use 
such  language  toward  his  employer?  A  good  tower- 
ing passion  is  a  great  steadier  of  the  nerves,  some- 
times. He  walked  into  the  counting-room,  saw  his 
name  and  the  word  "  Private "  on  the  glass  of  a 
certain  door,  went  boldly  beyond  it,  and  was  followed 
by  a  young  woman  with  a  note-book  and  pencil. 
Presently,  in  came  Mr.  Stevens  without  knocking. 

"  Here's  another  pretty  how-de-do ! "  he  exclaimed, 
without  any  greeting  except  an  angry  snort.  "  You 
promised  to  sign  that  contract  for  the  output  of  the 
Bunn's  Ferry  wells  while  you  were  in  New  York,  and 

112 


ON  THE  FIRM  GROUND  OF  BUSINESS 

didn't!  The  papers  are  back  with  a  notice  that  the 
deal  is  off  except  at  a  lower  price.  How'm  I  to  make 
anything  of  this  business,  I'd  like  to  know,  if 

you » 

Amidon  was  surprised  that  Stevens  was  ignoring 
his  threat  to  resign ;  but  he  was  firm  in  his  resolution 
to  enforce  discipline.  The  fact  that  he  himself  had 
been  so  long  in  a  state  of  fear  and  under  control, 
made  the  luxury  of  assuming  the  attitude  of  com- 
mand an  irresistible  temptation. 

"  Mr.  Stevens,"  said  he  sternly,  "  have  the  kind- 
ness to  read  what  is  painted  on  that  door ! " 

Though  he  had  no  need,  Mr.  Stevens  gazed  in 
astonishment  at  the  word  "  Private." 

"  Kindly  ask  Mr.  Alderson  to  step  here  a  moment," 
went  on  Mr.  Amidon. 

Stevens  stood  mute,  but  Alderson  overheard  and 
came. 

"  You  may  draw  Mr.  Stevens  a  salary  check  to 
date,  and  a  month  in  advance,  in  lieu  of  notice,"  said 
Mr.  Amidon.  "  Mr.  Stevens,  you  are  no  longer  in 
the  employ  of  this  concern.  Mr.  Alderson,  you  may 
take  charge  until  a  successor  to  Mr.  Stevens  is  found. 
I  should  now  regard  it  as  a  favor  if  I  might  have 
my  private  office  to  myself  and  my  stenographer !  " 

113 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Alderson  took  the  paralyzed  Stevens  by  the  shoul- 
ders and  walked  him  out  into  the  main  office.  Ami- 
don's  spirits  rose,  as  he  waited  for  the  check  to  come 
in  for  his  signature.  He  stabbed  his  letters  with  the 
paper-knife,  and  felt  in  a  blissful  state  of  general 
insurrection.  The  subjection  of  the  past  fortnight 
seemed  to  fall  from  him.  After  he  had  signed  the 
check,  he  turned  to  Miss  Strong. 

"  If  you  please,"  said  he,  in  a  voice  of  tense  stri- 
dency, "  I  will  give  you  a  few  letters." 

The  stenographer,  who  seemed  to  regard  the  events 
of  the  past  few  minutes  as  nothing  short  of  a  cata- 
clysm, flutteringly  leafed  over  her  book,  and  just  as 
Amidon  began  wondering  what  he  could  think  of  to 
put  into  a  letter,  she  burst  into  tears.  Amidon  closed 
his  desk  with  a  bang,  and  giving  Alderson  orders 
covering  his  absence,  walked  out  into  the  streets,  full 
of  the  joy  of  gratified  destructiveness.  He  met  Al- 
vord,  and  temerariously  agreed  to  go  with  him  to  the 
lodge  that  evening.  He  finally  found  Blodgett,  and 
informed  him  of  what  had  been  the  result  of  his  first 
morning  in  the  office. 

"  Well,  it's  your  business,  Florian,"  said  he,  "  but 
you'll  need  somebody  who  knows  something  about 
your  affairs.  And  if  you  go  on  attending  lodge 

114 


ON  THE  FIRM  GROUND  OF  BUSINESS 

meetings  where  you  don't  know  the  passwords,  and 
nosing  into  houses  where  you  don't  intend  to  go,  and 
discharging  all  the  trusted  men  in  your  employ,  you'll 
soon  have  more  things  to  attend  to  than  a  couple  of 
mesmerists  and  an  elderly  lawyer  can  take  care  of! 
But  it's  your  affair;  I've  known  you  too  long  to  try 
to  turn  you  when  you  get  one  of  your  tantrums  on. 
The  smash-up  ought  to  be  worth  seeing,  anyhow ! " 


115 


THE   MA*TY»DOM:   OF   MR.   STEVENS 

Pietro:  Th'  offense,  it  seemeth  me, 

Is  one  that  by  mercy's  extremest  stretch 
Might  be  o'erpassed. 

Cosimo:  Never,  Pietro,  never! 

The  Brotherhood's  honour  untouchable 
Is  touch'd  thereby.     We  build  our  labyrinth 
Of  sacred  words  and  potent  spells,  and  all 
The  deep-involved  horrors  of  our  craft  — 
Its  entrance  hedg'd  about  with  dreadful  oaths, 
And  every  step  in  thridding  it  made  dank 
By  dripping  terror  and  out-seeping  awe. 
Shall  it  be  said  that  e'en  Ludo'vico 
May  break  our  faith  and  live  ?    Never,  say  I ! 

—  Vision  of  Cosimo. 

The  Bellevale  lodge  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Chris- 
tian Martyrs  held  its  meetings  in  the  upper  story  of 
a  tall  building.  Mr.  Alvord  called  for  Amidon  at 
eight,  and  took  him  up,  all  his  boldness  in  the  world 
of  business  replaced  by  wariness  in  the  atmosphere 
of  mystery.  As  he  and  his  companion  went  into  an 
anteroom  and  were  given  broad  collars  from  which 
were  suspended  metal  badges  called  "  jewels,"  he  felt 

a  good  deal  like  a  spy.     They  walked  into  the  lodge- 

116 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  STEVENS 

room  where  twenty-five  or  thirty  men  with  similar 
"  jewels  "  sat  smoking  and  chatting.  All  seemed  to 
know  him,  but  (much  to  his  relief)  before  he  could 
be  included  in  the  conversation,  the  gavel  fell;  cer- 
tain ones  with  more  elaborate  "jewels"  and  more 
ornate  collars  than  the  rest  took  higher-backed  and 
more  highly  upholstered  chairs  at  the  four  sides  of 
the  room,  another  stood  at  the  door;  and  still  an- 
other, in  complete  uniform,  with  sword  and  belt,  be- 
gan hustling  the  members  to  seats. 

"  The  Deacon  Militant,"  said  the  wielder  of  the 
gavel,  "  will  report  if  all  present  are  known  and 
tested  members  of  our  Dread  and  Mystic  Conclave." 

"  All,  Most  Sovereign  Pontiff,"  responded  the  Dea- 
con Militant,  who  proved  to  be  the  man  in  the  uni- 
form, "  save  certain  strangers  who  appear  within  the 
confines  of  our  sacred  basilica." 

"  Let  them  be  tested,"  commanded  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff,  "  and,  if  brethren,  welcomed ;  if  spies,  exe- 
cuted ! " 

Amidon  started,  and  looked  about  for  aid  or  ave- 
nue of  escape.  Seeing  none,  he  warily  watched  the 
Deacon  Militant.  That  officer,  walking  in  the  mili- 
tary fashion  which,  as  patristic  literature  teaches, 
was  adopted  by  the  early  Christians,  and  turning 

117 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

square  corners  as  was  the  habit  of  St.  Paul  and  the 
Apostles,  received  whispered  passwords  from  the  two 
or  three  strangers,  and,  with  a  military  salute,  an- 
nounced that  all  present  had  been  put  to  the  test  and 
welcomed.  Then,  for  the  first  time  remembering  that 
he  was  not  among  the  strangers,  so  far  as  known  to 
the  lodge,  Amidon  breathed  freely,  and  rather  re- 
gretted the  absence  of  executions. 

"  Bring  forth  the  Mystic  Symbols  of  the  Order !  " 
was  the  next  command.  The  Mystic  Symbols  were 
placed  on  a  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and 
turned  out  to  be  a  gilt  fish  about  the  size  of  a  four- 
pound  bass,  a  jar  of  human  bones,  and  a  rolled-up 
scroll  said  to  contain  the  Gospels.  The  fish,  as  ex- 
plained by  the  Deacon  Militant,  typified  a  great  many 
things  connected  with  early  Christianity,  and  served 
always  as  a  reminder  of  the  password  of  the  order. 
The  relics  in  the  jar  were  the  bones  of  martyrs.  The 
scroll  was  the  Book  of  the  Law.  Amidon  was  be- 
coming impressed:  the  solemn  and  ornate  ritual  and 
the  dreadful  symbols  sent  shivers  down  his  inexpe- 
rienced and  unfraternal  spine.  Breaking  in  with  un- 
initiated eyes,  as  he  had  done,  now  seemed  more  and 
more  a  crime. 

There  was  an  "  Opening  Ode  "  which  was  so  badly 
118 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  STEVENS 

sung  as  to  mitigate  the  awe ;  and  an  "  order  of  busi- 
ness "  solemnly  gone  through.  Under  the  head 
"  Good  of  the  Order  "  the  visiting  brethren  spoke  as 
if  it  were  a  class-meeting  and  they  giving  "  testi- 
mony," one  of  them  very  volubly  reminding  the  as- 
sembly of  the  great  principles  of  the  order,  and  the 
mighty  work  it  had  already  accomplished  in  amelio- 
rating the  condition  of  a  lost  and  wandering  world. 
Amidon  felt  that  he  must  have  been  very  blind  in 
failing  to  note  this  work  until  it  was  thus  forced  on 
his  notice;  but  he  made  a  mental  apology. 

"  By  the  way,  Brassfield,"  said  Mr.  Slater  during 
a  recess  preceding  the  initiation  of  candidates,  "  you 
want  to  give  Stevens  the  best  you've  got  in  the  Cata- 
combs scene.  Will  you  make  it  just  straight  ritual, 
or  throw  in  some  of  those  specialties  of  yours  ?  " 

"  Stevens !  Catacombs !  "  gasped  Amidon,  "  spe- 
cialties !  I " 

"  I  wish  you  could  have  been  here  when  I  was  put 
through,"  went  on  Mr.  Slater.  "  I  don't  see  how 
any  one  but  a  professional  actor,  or  a  person  with 
your  dramatic  gifts,  can  do  that  part  at  all  —  it's 
so  sort  of  ripping  and  —  and  intense,  you  know.  I 
look  forward  to  your  rendition  of  it  with  a  good  deal 
of  pleasurable  anticipation." 

119 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  You  don't  expect  me  to  do  it,  do  you  ?  "  asked 
Amidon. 

"  Why,  who  else  ?  "  was  the  counter-question.  "  We 
can't  be  expected  to  play  on  the  bench  the  best  man 
in  Pennsylvania  in  that  part,  can  we  ?  " 

"  Come,  Brassfield,"  said  the  Sovereign  Pontiff, 
"  get  on  your  regalia  for  the  Catacombs.  We  are 
about  to  begin." 

"  Oh,  say,  now ! "  said  Amidon,  trying  to  be  off- 
hand about  it,  "  you  must  get  somebody  else." 

"  What's  that !  Some  one  else  ?  Very  likely  we 
shall !  Very  likely !  "  thus  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  with 
fine  scorn.  "  Come,  the  regalia,  and  no  nonsense ! " 

"I  —  I  may  be  called  out  at  any  moment,"  urged 
Amidon,  amidst  an  outcry  that  seemed  to  indicate  a 
breach  with  the  Martyrs  then  and  there.  "  There  are 
reasons  why " 

Edgington  took  him  aside.  "  Is  there  any  truth 
in  this  story,"  said  he,  "  that  you  have  had  some 
trouble  with  Stevens,  and  discharged  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  Stevens ! "  gasped  Amidon,  as  if  the 
whole  discussion  had  hinged  on  picking  out  the  right 
one  among  an  army  of  Stevenses.  "  Yes,  it's  true, 
and  I  can't  help  confer  this " 

Edgington  whispered  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff; 
120 


o 
>, 

T3 


IS 


8 

Q 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  STEVENS 

and  the  announcement  was  made  that  in  the  Cata- 
combs scene  Brother  Brassfield  would  be  excused  and 
Brother  Bulliwinkle  substituted. 

"  I  know  I  never,  in  any  plane  of  consciousness, 
saw  any  of  this,  or  knew  any  of  these  things," 
thought  Florian.  "  It  is  incredible !  " 

Conviction,  however,  was  forced  on  him  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  now  made  to  don  a  black  domino 
and  mask,  and  to  march,  carrying  a  tin-headed  spear, 
with  a  file  of  similar  figures  to  examine  the  candidate, 
who  turned  out  to  be  the  discharged  Stevens,  sitting 
in  an  anteroom,  foolish  and  apprehensive,  and  look- 
ing withal  much  as  he  had  done  in  the  counting-room. 
He  was  now  asked  by  the  leader  of  the  file,  in  a 
sepulchral  tone,  several  formal  questions,  among 
others  whether  he  believed  in  a  Supreme  Being. 
Stevens  gulped,  and  said  "  Yes."  He  was  then  asked 
if  he  was  prepared  to  endure  any  ordeal  to  which 
he  might  be  subjected,  and  warned  that  unless  he  pos- 
sessed nerves  of  steel,  he  had  better  turn  back  —  for 
which  measure  there  was  yet  time.  Stevens,  in  a 
faint  voice,  indicated  that  he  was  ready  for  the  worst, 
and  desired  to  go  on.  Then  all  (except  Amidon) 
in  awesome  accents  intoned,  "  Be  brave  and  obedient, 
and  all  may  yet  be  well !  "and  they  passed  back  into 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

the  lodge-room.  Amidon  was  now  thoroughly  im- 
pressed, and  wondered  whether  Stevens  would  be  able 
to  endure  the  terrible  trials  hinted  at. 

Clad  in  a  white  robe  "  typifying  innocence,"  and 
marching  to  minor  music  played  upon  a  piano,  Ste- 
vens was  escorted  several  times  around  the  darkened 
room,  stopping  from  time  to  time  at  the  station  of 
some  officer,  to  receive  highly  improving  lectures. 
Every  time  he  was  asked  if  he  were  willing  to  do 
anything,  or  believed  anything,  he  said  "  Yes."  Fi- 
nally, with  the  Scroll  of  the  Law  in  one  hand,  and 
with  the  other  resting  on  the  Bones  of  Martyrs,  sur- 
rounded by  the  brethren  whose  drawn  swords  and 
leveled  spears  threatened  death,  he  repeated  an  obli- 
gation which  bound  him  not  to  do  a  great  many 
things,  and  to  keep  the  secrets  of  the  order.  To 
Amidon  it  seemed  really  awful  —  albeit  somewhat 
florid  in  style;  and  when  Alvord  nudged  him  at  one 
passage  in  the  obligation,  he  resented  it  as  an  irrev- 
erence. Then  he  noted  that  it  was  a  pledge  to  main- 
tain the  sanctity  of  the  family  circle  of  brother 
Martyrs,  and  Alvord's  reference  of  the  night  before 
to  the  obligation  as  affecting  his  association  with  the 
"  strawberry  blonde  "  took  on  new  and  fearful  mean- 
ing. 

122 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  STEVENS 

Stevens  seemed  to  be  vibrating  between  fright  and 
a  tendency  to  laugh,  as  the  voice  of  some  well-known 
fellow  citizen  rumbled  out  from  behind  a  deadly 
weapon.  He  was  marched  out,  to  the  same  minor 
music,  and  the  first  act  was  ended. 

The  really  esoteric  part  of  it,  Amidon  felt,  was 
to  come,  as  he  could  see  no  reason  for  making  a  secret 
of  these  very  solemn  and  edifying  matters.  Stevens 
felt  very  much  the  same  way  about  it,  and  was  full 
of  expectancy  when  informed  that  the  next  degree 
would  test  his  obedience.  He  highly  resolved  to  obey 
to  the  letter. 

The  next  act  disclosed  Stevens  hoodwinked,  and 
the  room  light.  He  was  informed  that  he  was  in  the 
Catacombs,  familiar  to  the  early  Christians,  and  must 
make  his  way  alone  and  in  darkness,  following  the 
Clue  of  Faith  which  was  placed  in  his  hands.  This 
Clue  was  a  white  cord  similar  to  the  sort  used  by 
masons  (in  the  building-trades).  He  groped  his 
way  along  by  it  to  the  station  of  the  next  officer,  who 
warned  him  of  the  deadly  consequences  of  disobedi- 
ence. Thence  he  made  his  way  onward,  holding  to 
the  Clue  of  Faith  —  until  he  touched  a  trigger  of 
some  sort,  which  let  down  upon  him  an  avalanche  of 
tinware  and  such  light  and  noisy  articles,  which 

123 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

frightened  him  so  that  he  started  to  run,  and  was 
dexterously  tripped  by  the  Deacon  Militant  and  a 
spearman,  and  caught  in  a  net  held  by  two  others. 
A  titter  ran  about  the  room. 

"  Obey,"  thundered  the  Vice-Pontiff,  "  and  all  will 
be  well!" 

Stevens  resumed  the  Clue.  At  the  station  of  the 
next  officer  to  whom  it  brought  him,  the  nature  of 
faith  was  explained  to  him,  and  he  was  given  the 
password,  "  Ichthus,"  whispered  so  that  all  in  that 
part  of  the  room  could  hear  the  interdicted  syllables. 
But  he  was  adjured  never,  never  to  utter  it,  unless 
to  the  Guardian  of  the  Portal  on  entering  the 
lodge,  to  the  Deacon  Militant  on  the  opening 
thereof,  or  to  a  member,  when  he,  Stevens,  should 
become  Sovereign  Pontiff.  Then  he  was  faced  toward 
the  Vice-Pontiff,  and  told  to  answer  loudly  and  dis- 
tinctly the  questions  asked  him. 

"  What  is  the  lesson  inculcated  in  this  Degree  ?  " 
asked  the  Vice-Pontiff  from  the  other  end  of  the  room. 

"  Obedience ! "  shouted  Stevens  in  reply. 

"  What  is  the  password  of  this  Degree  ?  " 

"  Ichthus !  "  responded  Stevens. 

A  roll  of  stage-thunder  sounded  deafeningly  over 
his  head.  The  piano  was  swept  by  a  storm  of  bass 

124 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  STEVENS 

passion ;  and  deep  cries  of  "  Treason !  Treason !  " 
echoed  from  every  side.  Poor  Stevens  tottered,  and 
fell  into  a  chair  placed  by  the  Deacon  Militant.  He 
saw  the  enormity  of  the  deed  of  shame  he  had  com- 
mitted. He  had  told  the  password ! 

"  You  have  all  heard  this  treason,"  said  the  Sover- 
eign Pontiff,  in  the  deepest  of  chest-tones  — "  a  trea- 
son unknown  in  all  the  centuries  of  the  past!  What 
is  the  will  of  the  conclave  ?  " 

"  I  would  imprecate  on  the  traitor's  head,"  said 
a  voice  from  one  of  the  high-backed  chairs,  "  the  an- 
cient doom  of  the  Law !  " 

"  Doom,  doom ! "  said  all  in  unison,  holding  the 
"  oo  "  in  a  most  blood-curdling  way.  "  Pronounce 
doom!" 

"  One  fate,  and  one  alone,"  pronounced  the  Sov- 
ereign Pontiff,  "  can  be  yours.  Brethren,  let  him 
forthwith  be  encased  in  the  Chest  of  the  Clanking 
Chains,  and  hurled  from  the  Tarpeian  Rock,  to  be 
dashed  in  fragments  at  its  stony  base !  " 

Amidon's  horror  was  modified  by  the  evidences  of 
repressed  glee  with  which  this  sentence  was  received. 
Yet  he  felt  a  good  deal  of  concern  as  they  brought 
out  a  great  chest,  threw  the  struggling  Stevens  into 
it,  slammed  down  the  ponderous  lid  and  locked  it. 

125 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Stevens  kicked  at  the  lid,  but  said  nothing.  The 
members  leaped  with  joy.  A  great  chain  was  brought 
and  wrapped  clankingly  about  the  chest. 

"  Let  me  out,"  now  yelled  the  Christian  Martyr. 
"  Let  me  out,  damn  you !  " 

"  Doom,  do-o-o-oom ! "  roared  the  voices ;  and  said 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff  in  impressive  tones,  "  Proceed 
with  the  execution !  " 

Now  the  chest  was  slung  up  to  a  hook  in  the  ceil- 
ing, and  gradually  drawn  back  by  a  pulley  until  it 
was  far  above  the  heads  of  the  men,  the  chains  mean- 
while clanking  continually  against  the  receptacle, 
from  which  came  forth  a  stream  of  smothered  pro- 
fanity. 

"  Hurl  him  down  to  the  traitor's  death ! "  shouted 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff.  The  chest  was  loosed,  and 
swung  like  a  pendulum  lengthwise  of  the  room,  down 
almost  to  the  floor  and  up  nearly  to  the  ceiling.  The 
profanity  now  turned  into  a  yell  of  terror.  The 
Martyrs  slapped  one  another's  backs  and  grew  blue 
in  the  face  with  laughter.  At  a  signal,  a  light  box 
was  placed  where  the  chest  would  crush  it  (which  it 
did  with  a  sound  like  a  small  railway  collision)  ;  the 
chest  was  stopped  and  the  lid  raised. 

"  Let  the  body  receive  Christian  burial,"  said  the 
126 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OP  MR.  STEVENS 

Sovereign  Pontiff.  "  Our  vengeance  ceases  with 
death." 

This  truly  Christian  sentiment  was  received  with 
universal  approval.  Death  seemed  to  all  a  good  place 
at  which  to  stop. 

"  Brethren,"  said  the  Deacon  Militant,  as  he  strug- 
gled with  the  resurgent  Stevens,  "  there  seems  some 
life  here !  Methinks  the  heart  beats,  and  — 

The  remainder  of  the  passage  from  the  ritual  was 
lost  to  Amidon  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  Stevens  had 
placed  one  foot  against  the  Deacon's  stomach  and 
hurled  that  august  officer  violently  to  the  floor. 

"  Let  every  test  of  life  be  applied,"  said  the  Sov- 
ereign Pontiff.  "  Perchance  some  higher  will  than 
ours  decrees  his  preservation.  Take  the  body  hence 
for  a  time;  if  possible,  restore  him  to  life,  and  we 
will  consider  his  fate." 

The  recess  which  followed  was  clearly  necessary  to 
afford  an  opportunity  for  the  calming  of  the  risibili- 
ties of  the  Martyrs.  The  stage,  too,  had  to  be  reset. 
Amidon's  ethnological  studies  had  not  equaled  his 
reading  in  belles-lettres,  and  he  was  unable  to  see  the 
deep  significance  of  these  rites  from  an  historical 
standpoint,  and  that  here  was  a  survival  of  those  or- 
gies to  which  our  painted  and  skin-clad  ancestors  de- 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

voted  themselves  in  spasms  of  religious  frenzy,  gazed 
at  by  the  cave-bear  and  the  mammoth.  The  unin- 
structed  Amidon  regarded  them  as  inconceivable 
horse-play.  While  thus  he  mused,  Stevens,  who  was 
still  hoodwinked  and  being  greatly  belectured  on  the 
virtue  of  Faith  and  the  duty  of  Obedience,  reentered 
on  his  ordeal. 

He  was  now  informed  by  the  officer  at  the  other  end 
of  the  room,  that  every  man  must  ascend  into  the 
Mountains  of  Temptation  and  be  tested,  before  he 
could  be  pronounced  fit  for  companionship  with  Mar- 
tyrs. Therefore,  a  weary  climb  heavenward  was  be- 
fore him,  and  a  great  trial  of  his  fidelity.  On  his 
patience,  daring  and  fortitude  depended  all  his  fu- 
ture in  the  Order.  He  was  marched  to  a  ladder  and 
bidden  to  ascend. 

"  I,"  said  the  Deacon  Militant,  "  upon  this  com- 
panion stair  will  accompany  you." 

But  there  was  no  other  ladder  and  the  Deacon  Mil- 
itant had  to  stand  upon  a  chair. 

Up  the  ladder  labored  Stevens,  but,  though  he 
climbed  manfully,  he  remained  less  than  a  foot  above 
the  floor.  The  ladder  went  down  like  a  treadmill, 
as  Stevens  climbed  —  it  was  an  endless  ladder  rolled 
down  on  Stevens'  side  and  up  on  the  other.  The 

128 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  STEVENS 

Deacon  Militant,  from  his  perch  on  the  chair,  en- 
couraged Stevens  to  climb  faster  so  as  not  to  be  out- 
stripped. With  labored  breath  and  straining  mus- 
cles he  climbed,  the  Martyrs  rolling  on  the  floor  in 
merriment  all  the  more  violent  because  silent.  Ami- 
don  himself  laughed  to  see  this  strenuous  climb,  so 
strikingly  like  human  endeavor,  which  puts  the  climb- 
er out  of  breath,  and  raises  him  not  a  whit  —  except 
in  temperature.  At  the  end  of  perhaps  five  minutes, 
when  Stevens  might  well  have  believed  himself  a  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  roof,  he  had  achieved  a  dizzy 
height  of  perhaps  six  feet,  on  the  summit  of  a  stage- 
property  mountain,  where  he  stood  beside  the  Deacon 
Militant,  his  view  of  the  surrounding  plain  cut  off 
by  papier-mache  clouds,  and  facing  a  foul  fiend  to 
whom  the  Deacon  Militant  confided  that  here  was  a 
candidate  to  be  tested  and  qualified.  Whereupon  the 
foul  fiend  remarked  "  Ha,  ha ! "  and  bade  them  bind 
him  to  the  Plutonian  Thunderbolt  and  hurl  him  down 
to  the  nether  world.  The  thunderbolt  was  a  sort  of 
toboggan  on  rollers,  for  which  there  was  a  slide  run- 
ning down  presumably  to  the  nether  world,  above 
mentioned. 

The  hoodwink  was  removed,  and  Stevens  looked 
about  him,  treading  warily,  like  one  on  the  top  of  a 

129 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

tower;  the  great  height  of  the  mountain  made  him 
giddy.  Obediently  he  lay  face  downward  on  the 
thunderbolt,  and  yielded  up  his  wrists  and  ankles  to 
fastenings  provided  for  them. 

"  They're  not  going  to  lower  him  with  those  cords, 
are  they?" 

It  was  a  stage-whisper  from  the  darkness  which 
spake  thus. 

"  Oh,  I  guess  it's  safe  enough ! "  said  another,  in 
the  same  sort  of  agitated  whisper. 

"  Safe ! "  was  the  reply.  "  I  tell  you,  it's  sure  to 
break !  Some  one  stop  'em 

To  the  heart  of  the  martyred  Stevens  these  words 
struck  panic.  But  as  he  opened  his  mouth  to  protest, 
the  catastrophe  occurred.  There  was  a  snap,  and  the 
toboggan  shot  downward.  Bound  as  he  was,  the  vic- 
tim could  see  below  him  a  brick  wall  right  across 
the  path  of  his  descent.  He  was  helpless  to  move; 
it  was  useless  to  cry  out.  For  all  that,  as  he  felt  in 
imagination  the  crushing  shock  of  his  head  driven 
like  a  battering-ram  against  this  wall,  he  uttered  a 
roar  such  as  from  Achilles  might  have  roused  armed 
nations  to  battle.  And  even  as  he  did  so,  his  head 
touched  the  wall,  there  was  a  crash,  and  Stevens  lay 
safe  on  a  mattress  after  his  ten-foot  slide,  surrounded 

130 


THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  STEVENS 

by  fragments  of  red-and-white  paper  which  had  late- 
ly been  a  wall.  He  was  pale  and  agitated,  and  gen- 
erally done  for;  but  tremendously  relieved  when  he 
had  assured  himself  of  the  integrity  of  his  cranium. 
This  he  did  by  repeatedly  feeling  of  his  head,  and 
looking  at  his  fingers  for  sanguinary  results.  As 
Amidon  looked  at  him,  he  repented  of  what  he  had 
done  to  this  thoroughly  maltreated  fellow  man.  After 
the  Catacombs  scene,  which  was  supposed  to  be  im- 
pressive, and  some  more  of  the  "  secret "  work,  every- 
body crowded  about  Stevens,  now  invested  with  the 
collar  and  "  jewel  "  of  Martyrhood,  and  laughed,  and 
congratulated  him  as  on  some  great  achievement, 
while  he  looked  half-pleased  and  half -bored.  Amidon 
with  the  rest  greeted  him,  and  told  him  that  after  his 
vacation  was  over,  he  hoped  to  see  him  back  at  the 
office. 

"  That  was  a  fine  exemplification  of  the  principles 
of  the  Order,"  said  Alvord  as  they  went  home. 

"  What  was  ?  "  asked  Amidon. 

"  Hiring  old  Stevens  back,"  answered  Alvord. 
"  You've  got  to  live  your  principles,  or  they  don't 
amount  to  much." 

"  Suppose  some  fellow  should  get  into  a  lodge," 
asked  Amidon,  "  who  had  never  been  initiated  ?  " 

131 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  Well,'*  said  Alvord,  "  there  isn't  much  chance  of 
that.  I  shouldn't  dare  to  say.  You  can't  tell  what 
the  fellows  would  do  when  such  sacred  things  were 
profaned,  you  know.  You  couldn't  tell  what  they 
might  do!" 


132 


XIV 

THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGBJM  THE  WOLF 

Then   up   and  spake   Reynard,  the   Fox,   King  Leo's   throne 

before : 
"  My    clients,    haled    before    you,    Sire,    deserve    not    frown 

nor  roar! 
These  flocks  and  herds  and  sties,  dread  lord,  should  thanks 

give  for  our  care  — 

The  care  of  Isegrim  the  Wolf,  and  Bruin  strong,  the  Bear! 
Its  usefulness,  its  innocence,  our  Syndicate  protests. 
We  crave  the  Court's  support  for  our  legitimate  interests!  " 

—  An  Appeal  to  King  Leo. 

The  sifting  of  St.  Peter 

Seems  quite  credible  to  me, 
When  I  see  what's  done  to  absentees 

At  our  Society!  — Annals  of  Sorosis. 

Any  business  man  will  be  able  to  appreciate  the 
difficulties  which  beset  the  president  of  the  Brassfield 
Oil  Company,  on  the  discharge  of  Mr.  Stevens. 
On  the  morning  after  the  lodge  meeting,  behold  Mr. 
Amidon  at  his  desk,  contemplating  a  rising  pile  of 
unanswered  letters.  His  countenance  expresses  defeat, 
despair  and  aversion.  His  politeness  toward  Miss 
Strong  is  never-failing;  but  that  he  is  not  himself 

133 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

grows  more  and  more  apparent  to  that  clear-headed 
young  woman. 

"  Here's  the  third  letter  from  the  Bayonne  refin- 
ery," she  said.  "  An  immediate  reply  is  demanded." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Amidon ;  "  certainly ;  that  has 
gone  too  long!  We  must  get  at  that  matter  at  once: 
let  me  see  the  contracts  and  correspondence." 

"  That  is  the  business,"  said  Miss  Strong,  "  which 
they  claim  to  have  arranged  with  you  in  a  conver- 
sation over  the  long-distance  'phone.  That's  what 
seems  to  be  the  matter  with  them  —  they  want  to 
make  a  record  of  it." 

"  I  don't  remember Well,"  said  Amidon, 

"  lay  that  by  for  a  moment.  And  this  piece  of  busi- 
ness with  the  A.  B.  &  C.  Railway.  Who  knows  any- 
thing about  this  claim  for  demurrage?  " 

"  Mr.  Stevens,"  said  Miss  Strong,  "  had  that  in 
hand,  and  said  he  told  you  all  about  it  before  you 
went  away,  and  that  you  were  going  to  see  about  it 
in " 

"  In  New  York,  I  suppose ! "  exclaimed  Amidon. 
"  Well,  I  didn't.  Can't  you  and  Mr.  Alderson  take 
up  this  pile  of  letters  and  bring  'em  to  me  with  the 
correspondence,  and  —  and  papers  —  and  things  ? 
I've  been  too  lax  in  the  past,  in  not  referring  to  the 

134 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

records.     I  must  have  the  records,  Miss  Strong,  in 
every  case." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Miss  Strong ;  "  but  since  we 
adopted  that  new  system  of  filing,  I  don't  see  how  the 
records  can  be  made  any  fuller,  or  how  you  can  be 
more  fully  acquainted  with  them  than  you  now 
are " 

"  Not  at  all,"  asseverated  Mr.  Amidon.  "  I  find 
myself  uncertain  as  to  a  great  many  things.  Let's 
have  the  records  constantly." 

"  Yes,  sir,  but  these  are  cases  where  there  isn't  any- 
thing. Nobody  but  you  and  Mr.  Stevens  knows  any- 
thing about  them." 

"  Well,  I  can't  answer  them  now,"  protested  Mr. 
Amidon.  "  I've  a  headache !  My  —  my  mind  isn't 
clear  —  is  confused  on  some  of  these  things ;  and 
they'll  all  have  to  wait  a  while.  Who's  that  tapping  ? 
Oh,  it's  you,  is  it,  Mr.  Alderson  —  you  startled  me 

so  that  I Mr.  Edgington  here?     Well,  why 

don't  you  show  him  in?  After  luncheon,  Miss  Strong, 
you  may  come  in  again." 

Mr.  Edgington  had  a  tightly-curled  mustache,  a 
pink  flush  on  his  cheeks,  wore  an  obviously  new 
sack  suit,  had  a  carnation  in  his  buttonhole,  came  in 
with  an  air  of  marked  hurry,  and  carried  a  roll  of 
papers. 

135 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  I  thought  I  must  have  a  talk  with  you,"  said  he, 
"  on  the  evidence  in  that  Bunn's  Ferry  land  case. 
The  time  for  taking  evidence  is  rapidly  passing,  and 
the  court  warned  us  that  it  wouldn't  be  extended 
again.  That  proof  you  must  furnish,  or  we  shall  be 
beaten." 

"  Yes  —  yes,  I  see,"  said  Amidon,  who  knew  abso- 
lutely nothing  about  the  matter.  "  We  should  feel 
really  annoyed  by  such  a  termination ! " 

"  Annoyed !  "  exclaimed  the  lawyer.  "  Say,  Brass- 
field,  that  reminds  me  of  Artemus  Ward's  statement 
that  he  was  '  ashamed  '  when  some  one  died !  You'd 
lose  the  best  wells  you've  got.  And  it  would  involve 
those  transfers  to  the  Waldrons,  and  might  carry 
them  down." 

"  The  Waldrons !  "  exclaimed  Florian. 

"  Why,  I  mean  Miss  Bessie  and  her  aunt,"  said 

Edgington.  "  I  mean  bankruptcy But  we've 

gone  all  over  that  before." 

Amidon  nodded,  with  an  air  of  knowing  all  about 
the  matter. 

"  Lots  of  times,"  said  he.  "  And  this  evidence 

is ?  Please  give  me  the  exact  requirements  — 

er,  again." 

"  The  exact  requirements,"  said  Edgington,  "  as 
136 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

I  have  frequently  shown  you,  and  without  its  doing 
much  good,  are  to  prove  that  some  time  in  March, 
1896,  you  did  not  make  a  partnership  agreement 
with  this  man  Corkery  by  which  you  were  to  share 
with  him  the  proceeds  of  your  oil-prospecting,  and 
under  which  he  went  into  possession  of  this  tract  of 
land.  He  has  a  line  of  testimony  which  shows  that 
you  did.  Proving  a  negative  is  rather  unusual,  but 
about  the  only  thing  which  will  save  you  is  an  alibi. 
Now  you  must  pardon  the  expression,  but  you've  al- 
ways evaded  my  questions  as  to  your  whereabouts 
prior  to  June  of  that  year.  You've  never  flatly  de- 
nied Corkery's  story,  but  if  it  weren't  for  the  inhe- 
rent improbability  of  it,  I'd  have  given  up  the  fight 
long  ago,  for  you  have  not  helped  as  a  client  should. 
You  haven't  confided " 

"  But  I  will !  "  said  Amidon  energetically.  "  The 
man's  a  perjurer,  and  I'll  prove  it!  All  that  time 
I  was  in  Wisconsin.  I  was  —  I'll  prove  where  I 
was " 

"  Good ! "  cried  Edgington,  noting  a  tendency  to 
falter.  "  And  now  for  the  names  and  addresses  of  a 
few  witnesses,  and  we'll  go  after  them ! " 

"  Witnesses  —  yes,  yes  —  we  shall  need  witnesses, 
won't  we?  "  faltered  Amidon.  "  Say,  Mr.  Edging- 

137 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

ton,  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do:  I'll  turn  you  over  to 
Blodgett." 

"  The  old  gentleman  at  the  hotel?  " 

"  The  same,"  replied  Amidon.  "  He  was  my  law- 
yer, years  ago.  I'll  send  him  to  you  directly  this 
afternoon." 

Edgington  made  some  notes  in  a  book. 

"  Very  well,"  said  he.  "  I'm  glad  that  puzzle  is  in 
process  of  solution.  And  now  one  thing  further,  and 
I  am  done.  This  is  a  question  of  local  politics.  You 
know  the  talks  we've  had  with  the  fellows  about  this 
trolley  franchise,  and  the  advisability  of  making  you 
mayor.  We  all  agree  that  your  interests  and  mine 
and  those  of  all  our  crowd  demand  your  election  to 
the  place " 

"  Me  mayor !  "  shouted  Amidon.  "  Me  run  for  of- 
fice !  Why,  Mr.  Edgington,  you  must  be  crazy !  " 

"  Well,  this  —  certainly  —  is  refreshing !  "  expos- 
tulated Edgington,  in  apparent  amazement.  "  When 
can  anything  be  supposed  to  be  settled,  between  gen- 
tlemen, if  that  isn't?  Why,  confound  it,  didn't  we 
make  up  the  complete  slate,  including  control  of  the 
Common  Council?  And  aren't  we  to  have  an  exclu- 
sive franchise  on  all  the  streets,  with  your  signature 
as  mayor?  Of  course,  you're  joking  now.  Why, 

138 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

we're  right  on  the  eve  of  the  caucuses,  and  with  Con- 
Ion  in  line  everything  will  go  as  it  ought.  I  mean 
Barney  Conlon,  the  labor  leader.  Since  you've  come 
back  from  this  trip  of  yours,  everything  seems  to  be 
going  in  unexpected  ways  —  and  somehow  you've 
given  offense  to  Conlon.  Do  you  know  what  it 
was?" 

"  No,"    answered   Amidon,    with   some   heat.     "  1 
don't  know  what  it  was !    I  don't  know  Conlon,  and  I 
don't  know  anything  about  this  business  except  this: 
that  if  you  think  I'm  going  to  sneak  into  office  for 
the  purpose  of  stealing  the  streets  of  this  town,  you 
don't  know  Florian  Amidon,  that's  all !  " 
"  Don't  know  what?     Don't  know  whom?  " 
"  Don't  know  Flo  —  ah  —  me !     Me !  " 
"  Then  you  won't  see  Barney  Conlon  ?  " 
"  I  won't  foul  my  hands  with  the  dirty  mess !     I 

won't " 

"  Dirty     mess,     indeed ! "     retorted     Edgington, 

"  when  the  best  business  men Oh,  well,  if  that's 

the  way  you  feel Why  didn't  you  say  so,  in- 
stead of I  think  we'd  best  not  discuss  the  thing 

any  further,  Mr.  Brassfield;  and  returning  to  legal 
matters,  where  we  are  happily  at  one,  let  me  remind 
you  that  you  are  to  send  Judge  Blodgett  up  to  see 

139 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

me  regarding  the  Corkery  case  this  afternoon.    Good 
day,  Mr.  Brassfield !  " 

Mr.  Edgington  went  forth  from  Amidon's  pres- 
ence in  a  state  of  mind  which  can  be  appreciated  by 
no  one  but  some  "  good  "  citizen  who  has  perfected 
all  the  preliminaries  for  securing  a  particularly  fat 
financial  prize  by  the  cheap  and  simple  device  of  a 
popular  vote,  and  finds  the  man  on  whom  he  relies 
going  off  into  a  fanciful  ism  induced  by  some  mag- 
got of  so-called  conscientiousness.  Any  one  ought  to 
be  able  to  see  that  there  is  nothing  wrong  in  accept- 
ing gifts  from  those  able  to  give:  and  who  is  more 
able  than  the  public?  Everybody  would  be  better  off 
for  the  arrangement  contemplated,  and  no  one  the 
worse.  So  reasoned  Mr.  Edgington  as  he  saw  with 
chagrin  the  Bellevale  franchise  slipping  away,  and 
with  it  the  core  of  their  ambitious  project  of  inter- 
urban  lines  connecting  half  a  dozen  cities.  Bellevale, 
with  its  water-power,  was  the  hub  of  it;  and  to  lose 
here  by  such  a  sudden  exhibition  of  so-called  "  civic 
patriotism  " —  Edgington  knew  the  patter  of  these 
reformers  —  was  disgusting,  and  all  the  more  so  from 
the  fact  that  the  one  to  blame  was  Brassfield,  whose 
ethical  attitude  had  always  been  so  "  safe  and  sane  " 
in  business  matters. 

140 


No  !  "  said  Florian,  "  I've  forgotten  it  !  "  Page  86 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

He  must  find  some  way  of  re-forming  the  lines,  and 
adjusting  the  action  of  the  machine  —  now  engaged 
in  grinding  out  Brassfield's  nomination  —  so  as  to 
produce  other  grist  just  as  good,  if  that  were  pos- 
sible. It  was  ticklish  business,  but  it  must  be  done. 
The  time  was  short,  but  before  the  caucuses  met  a 
new  candidate  must  be  found,  and  the  word  passed 
down  the  line  that  the  dear  people  had  changed  their 
minds  over  night  on  the  subject  of  the  next  mayor. 

To  decide,  with  Mr.  Edgington  (who  fancied  that 
he  resembled  the  first  Napoleon),  was  to  act,  and  al- 
most instantly,  his  forces,  hastily  mobilized,  began 
an  enveloping  movement  for  the  purpose  of  surround- 
ing and  bringing  into  camp  a  proper  candidate  for 
the  local  chief  magistracy. 

Mr.  Amidon  was  flushed  after  this  encounter.  Mr. 
Edgington's  cool  manner  of  approaching  him  with 
this  questionable  and  shady  political  job  had  gen- 
erated some  heat  in  Florian  —  a  man  always  pos- 
sessed of  strong  convictions  concerning  civic  purity. 
He  was  offended ;  yet  he  knew  that  it  was  to  the  tur- 
pitude of  Brassfield  that  he  owed  this,  rather  than  to 
any  fault  of  Edgington's. 

"  How  could  such  a  fellow  as  Brassfield  reap  such 
success!  "  was  Amidon's  mental  ejaculation.  "  Ready 

141 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

to  rob  the  community,  he  enjoys  the  confidence  of  all ; 
full  of  the  propensities  of  Don  Juan,  he  wins  the  re- 
spect and  love  of  Elizabeth  Waldron!  Shameful 

commentary    upon    society,     and Yes,     Miss 

Strong,  who  is  there?  Judge  Blodgett:  send  him 
right  in.  ...  Judge,  I'm  glad  you  came  in. 
I'm  very  glad !  I  need  your  advice  and  aid." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  judge,  biting  a  cigar. 
"  What's  up,  Florian?  " 

"  You've  seen  a  Mr.  Edgington  ?  " 

"  Your  lawyer,"  replied  the  judge.  "  The  Notes 
tell  all  about  him." 

"  Well,"  resumed  Amidon,  "  he's  been  here,  and  I 
learn  that  there  is  some  very  important  litigation 
pending,  which  we've  got  to  win,  because  it  in- 
volves others  —  Miss  Waldron  and  her  aunt  —  and 
this  man  Brassfield  never  could  give  Edgington  the 
evidence  he  needed  in  order  to  win." 

"Why  couldn't  he?" 

"  Because,"  said  Amidon,  with  the  air  of  a  man 
uttering  something  of  the  deepest  significance,  "  it 
involves  matters  happening  before  June,  1896,  and 
Brassfield  was  not  in  existence  until  the  twenty-sev- 
enth of  June!  I've  promised  Edgington  that  you 
will  get  him  the  evidence  he  wants." 

142 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

"What's  the  nub  of  the  case?"  asked  the  judge. 

"  A  man  claims  I  gave  him  some  rights  —  or  that 
Brassfield  did  —  you  understand  ?  — " 

"  I  see." 

"—  in  March,  1896." 

"H'm!"  exclaimed  the  judge  contemptuously. 
"  March,  eh?  Why,  we  can  subpoena  the  whole  town 
of  Hazelhurst,  and  show  that  you  were  at  that  time 
acting  as  a  pillar  of  society  there,  every  day  in.  that 
year,  up  to  June  twenty-seventh ! " 

"  But  don't  you  see,"  said  Amidon,  "  that  proving 
this  makes  my  whole  story  public?  " 

Judge  Blodgett  thoughtfully  gazed  into  space. 

"  Yes,  it  would  appear  that  way,"  said  he,  at  last ; 
"  but  is  it  necessarily  so  ?  You  can  testify  that  you 
were  in  Hazelhurst  at  that  time,  and  legally,  that's 
the  same  thing  as  saying  that  Brassfield  was  —  I 
guess;  and  I'll  swear  to  it,  too;  and  if  they  aren't 
too  searching  on  cross-examination,  we  may  slide 
through  —  but  there'll  be  some  ticklish  spots.  I'll 
see  Mr.  Edgington,  and  find  out  just  how  strong  a 
fabric  of  perjury  we've  got  to  go  against.  We  may 
have  to  get  more  witnesses  —  and  that'll  be  thin  ice, 
too.  I'll  look  in  again  this  afternoon." 

"  Please  do  so,"  replied  Mr.  Amidon.  "  Look  at 
143 


these  letters !  Do  you  suppose  your  Notes  would  shed 
any  light  on  what  they're  driving  at?  " 

The  judge  looked  them  over. 

"  I  don't  remember  anything  in  the  Notes,"  said 
he,  "  regarding  these  matters.  But  you  could  take 
'em  up  to  the  hotel,  and  Madame  le  Claire  could  put 
you  to  sleep  and  talk  it  out  of  you  in  five  minutes." 

"  I'll  do  it!  "  said  Amidon.  "  I'll  get  Brassfield's 
views  on  them,  confound  him.  I'll  do  this  while 
you're  with  Edgington.  Good-by  until  after  lunch- 
eon." 

Madame  le  Claire  was  examining  Mr.  Brassfield 
with  reference  to  the  unanswered  letters.  Professor 
Blatherwick  was  engaged  in  taking  down  his  answers. 
In  a  disastrous  moment,  Mr.  Alderson  knocked  at  the 
door,  and,  following  his  knocking,  delivered  a  breath- 
less message  to  Brassfield  that  an  important  telegram 
demanded  instant  attention. 

"  All  right,"  replied  Mr.  Brassfield  cheerily,  "  I'll 
toddle  right  down  to  the  office  with  you,  my  boy. 
Excuse  me,  Madame;  you  may  rely  on  my  seeking 
a  resumption  of  this  pleasant  interview  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment.  Au  revoir!  " 

Madame  le  Claire  was  perplexed.  Should  she  al- 
144 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

low  him  to  go  out  in  this  hypnotic  state?  Could  she 
exercise  her  art  in  Alderson's  presence?  While  she 
debated,  Mr.  Brassfield  airily  bowed  himself  out,  and 


was  gone 


Brassfield  was  gone,  that  was  clear:  but  no  system 
of  Subliminal  Engineering  had  any  rule  for  calcu- 
lating the  results  of  his  escape  back  into  the  world 
from  which  he  had  for  a  fortnight  or  so  been  absent. 
What  would  he  be,  and  what  would  he  do?  Would 
he  return  the  same  hard-headed  man  of  business  who 
had  won  riches  in  five  short  years?  Or  would  he  be 
changed  by  the  return  to  the  normal  —  his  equilib- 
rium made  unstable  by  the  tendency  to  revert  to  his 
older  self?  How  would  he  adjust  himself  to  the 
things  done  by  Amidon?  How  would  the  change 
affect  his  relations  with  Miss  Waldron  and  this  bright- 
haired  inamorata  so  balef ully  nearing  the  foreground, 
like  an  approaching  comet?  How  would  the  profes- 
sor and  Judge  Blodgett  stand  with  this  new  factor 
in  the  problem?  Would  he  continue  to  care  for  her, 
his  rescuer?  Owing  to  some  things  which  had  taken 
place  in  the  Brassfield  intervals,  her  heart  fluttered 
at  the  thought  of  a  possibly  permanent  Eugene. 

For  be  it  remembered,  that  many  things  had  taken 
145 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

place  in  these  days  of  Bellevale  life.  The  situation 
had,  of  course,  been  changing  daily  by  subsurface 
mutations  which  the  intelligent  student  of  this  his- 
tory will  not  need  to  have  explained  to  him.  For 
instance  (and  herein  the  explanation  of  that  flutter- 
ing of  Madame  le  Claire's  heart)  such  things  as 
these : 

Bellevale  is  not  so  large  a  place  that  neighbors' 
affairs  are  not  observed  of  neighbor.  Prior  to  the 
elaboration  of  the  law  of  thought-transference,  there 
was  no  way  of  accounting  for  the  universality  of 
knowledge  of  other  people's  affairs  which  certain 
Bellevale  circles  enjoyed.  The  good  gossiping  house- 
wives along  the  highways  leading  into  the  town  are 
often  able  to  tell  the  exact  contents  of  the  packages 
brought  home  by  their  neighbors,  under  the  seats  of 
their  buggies  and  farm-wagons  and  late  at  night ;  but 
this  is  a  phenomenon  not  at  all  unusual.  Neither  is 
it  in  the  least  strange  that,  in  town  or  country,  John 
and  Sarah  could  not  sit  out  an  evening  together  in 
the  parlor  or  settin'-room  without  all  that  occurred 
being  talked  over,  with  perfect  certainty  as  to  facts, 
in  the  next  day's  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Society 
or  the  Monday  Club.  But  what  Phyllis  thought, 
what  were  the  plans  of  Thestylis,  and  how  Jane  felt 

146 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

when  William  jilted  her,  and  why  William  did  it  — 
all  of  which  difficult  circumstances  were  canvassed 
with  equal  certitude  —  are  things,  the  knowledge  of 
which,  as  I  said  above,  was  not  to  be  accounted  for  on 
any  theory  at  all  consistent  with  respect  for  the  peo- 
ple possessing  it,  until  thought-transference  came  into 
fashion.  Now  all  is  clear,  and  our  debt  to  science  is 
increased  by  another  large  item. 

Mr.  Brassfield  and  his  affairs  were  as  a  city  set 
upon  a  hill,  and  could  not  be  hid.  There  was  a  maid 
in  Elizabeth's  home,  and  a  maiden  aunt  who  had  con- 
fidential friends.  A  stenographer  and  bookkeepers 
were  employed  in  the  counting-room  of  the  Brassfield 
Oil  Company,  and  the  stenographer  had  a  friend  in 
the  milliner's  shop,  and  an  admirer  who  was  a  clerk 
in  one  of  the  banks.  There  were  clubs  and  other 
organizations,  social,  religious  and  literary;  and  the 
people  in  all  of  them  had  tongues  wherewith  to  talk, 
and  ears  for  hearing. 

Hence : 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  for  Ethical  Research, 
Mrs.  Meyer  read  an  essay  on  "  What  Parsifal  Has 
Taught  Me,"  during  the  reading  of  which  Mrs.  Al- 
vord  described  Miss  Waldron's  trousseau  to  Miss 
Finch  and  Doctor  Julia  Brown.  Because  of  the  con- 

147, 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

versation  among  these  three,  the  president  asked  Doc- 
tor Brown,  first  of  all,  to  discuss  the  paper.  And 
Doctor  Julia,  who  talked  bass  and  had  coquettish 
fluffy  blond  bangs  and  a  greatly  overtaxed  corsage, 
said  that  she  fully  agreed  with  the  many  and  deeply 
beautiful  thoughts  expressed  in  the  paper. 

"  I'm  sincerely  glad  Parsifal  taught  her  some- 
thing ! "  said  the  fair  M.D.  to  her  companions,  as  she 
resumed  her  seat.  Mrs.  Meyer  was  the  only  woman 
in  the  town  who  had  ever  been  to  Bayreuth,  she  added 
short-windedly  in  explanation  of  her  remarks,  and 
had  lobbied  herself  into  a  place  on  the  program  on 
the  strength  of  that  fact. 

"  Does  Bess  know,"  asked  Miss  Finch,  "  about  this 
mesmerist  person  ?  " 

"  Oh,  there  isn't  anything  there,"  said  Doctor 
Brown,  "  I  feel  sure.  Though  his  inti  —  ah,  friend- 
ship with  this  Le  Claire  woman  is,  just  at  this  time, 
in  bad  taste.  But  all  men  are  natural  polygamists, 
you  know." 

"  They  say,"  said  the  voice  of  a  member  from 
across  the  room,  "  that  it  will  be  quite  a  palace  — 
throw  everything  else  in  Bellevale  in  the  shade  — 
entirely  so." 

"  They  are  all  talking  of  it,"  said  Mrs.  Alvord. 
148 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

"  Jim  says  it  seems  odd  to  have  this  Mr.  Blodgett 
looking  into  the  Brassfield  business.  But  everything 
is  odd,  now  —  the  hypnotist  and  Mr.  Blodgett,  and 
Daisy  Scarlett ;  she's  still  here." 

"  O o ! "  said  Doctor  Brown,  in  a  sinuous 

barytone  circumflex. 

"  Really,"  said  Miss  Finch,  who  wore  her  dress 
high  about  the  neck,  and  whose  form  was  a  sym- 
phony in  angles,  "  such  promiscuous  associations  may 
be  shocking,  but  as  to  surprise  —  who  knows  any- 
thing of  his  life  before  he  came  here?  " 

"  Judge  Blodgett,"  said  Doctor  Brown,  "  told  a 
friend  of  mine  that  he  had  known  Brassfield  from 
infancy." 

"  The  first  light  Bellevale  has  ever  received  on  a 
dark  past,"  said  Miss  Finch,  "  if  it  is  light.  And 
how  strangely  he  acts!  Everybody  notices  it.  Al- 
ways so  chatty  and  almost  voluble  before,  and  now  — 
why,  he's  dreadfully  boorish.  You  know  how  he 
treated  you,  Miss  Brown !  " 

"  Yes,  and  he  knows  how  I  treated  him  for  it ! " 
said  Doctor  Brown.  "  I  propose  to  call  people  down 
when  they  act  so  with  me ! " 

"  Quite  right,"  said  Mrs.  Alvord,  "  quite  correct, 
Doctor.  Oh,  what  a  change !  And  who  has  changed 

149 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

for  the  worse  lately  more  than  Bessie  Waldron  ?  Pale, 
silent  and  clearly  unhappy.  I  can't  attach  any  im- 
portance to  that  affair  of  the  strange  woman  with  the 
striped  hair;  but  that  Miss  Scarlett  matter  —  that's 
quite  different.  Jim  and  I  saw  the  beginning  of  that 
up  in  the  mountains  last  summer.  Daisy  Scarlett  is 
a  queer  girl,  so  wild  and  hoidenish  —  but  the  people 
who  know  her  in  Allentown  just  think  the  world  of 
her,  the  same  as  do  the  people  in  Bellevale  —  and  her 
appearance  here  right  after  the  announcement  of  the 
engagement  means  something.  Poor  Bess!  Hush! 
There  she  comes.  Oh,  Bessie,  it's  so  sweet  of  you  to 
come,  even  if  you  are  late!  Everybody  has  been 
saying  such  sweet  things  of  you !  " 

"How  kind  of  them!"  said  Elizabeth.  "Has 
Parsifal  received  any  attention  ?  " 

At  the  club,  of  course,  no  such  gossip  as  that  ut- 
tered at  the  meeting  of  the  Society  for  Ethical  Re- 
search was  heard.  Men  are  above  such  things.  To 
be  sure  Alvord  and  Slater  and  Edgington  and  the 
rest  of  the  "  the  gang  "  did  exchange  views  on  some 
matters  involving  the  welfare  of  the  club  —  and  in 
the  course  of  duty. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  Slater,  "  Brass  has  been  practis- 
150 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

ing  that  French  doctrine  about  hunting  for  the 
woman  —  a  little  too  industriously.  They're  getting 
to  be  something  —  something " 

"  Fierce,"  suggested  Alvord. 

"  Well,  that  isn't  quite  what  I  meant  to  say,"  said 
Slater,  "  but  pretty  near.  *  Terrible  as  an  army  with 
banners,'  you  know,  and  condemned  near  as  numer- 
ous." 

"  It's  changed  Brassfield  like  a  coat  of  paint,  this 
engagement,"  said  Edgington.  "  I  saw  something 
last  week  that  showed  me  more  than  you  could  print 
in  a  book  as  big  as  the  Annual  Digest.  You  see,  he 
went  sort  of  gravitating  down  by  where  the  sewer 
gang  was  at  work,  like  a  man  in  a  strange  country 
full  of  hostiles,  and  although  he  must  have  been  con- 
scious of  the  fact  that  he's  slated  for  mayor  in  the 
spring,  he  never  showed  that  he  knew  of  the  pres- 
ence of  a  human  being,  to  say  nothing  of  a  voter,  in 
the  whole  gang,  and  Barney  Conlon's  gang,  too. 
Why,  he'd  better  have  done  anything  than  ignore 
'em!  He'd  better  a  darn  sight  have  stood  and  sung 
Drill,  Ye  Tarriers,  Drill!  as  a  political  move.  Now 
that  shows  a  revolution  in  his  nature.  It's  uncanny, 
and  it'll  play  the  very  deuce  with  the  slate  if  it  goes 
on." 

151 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  Well,  you  all  know  what  took  place  at  his  count- 
ing-room," asked  Slater,  "  the  day  after  he  got  back 
from  New  York?  Old  Stevens  resigned,  on  the  street 
the  night  before,  and  Brass  didn't  seem  to  know  any 
more  than  to  accept  his  resignation.  Hired  him  back 
since,  I've  heard,  but  he  ought  not  to  have  noticed  it. 
He  certainly  has  gone  off  badly." 

"  I  knew  a  fellow  once,"  said  Edgington,  "  who 
went  sort  of  crazy  on  the  girl  question  —  batty. 
D'ye  s'pose  this  engagement " 

"  They  change  to  their  lady  friends,"  said  Slater, 
"  sometimes.  But  he  —  why,  he  passed  me  a  dozen 
times  with  a  cold  stare ! " 

"  Me,  too,"  said  Edgington,  "  and  he  didn't  seem 
to  know  Flossie  Smith  when  he  met  her,  and  Doctor 
Julia  Brown  gave  him  a  calling-down  on  the  street  — - 
a  public  lecture  on  etiquette.  Colonel  McCorkle 
claims  to  have  been  insulted  by  him,  and  won't  serve 
any  longer  on  the  same  committees  with  him  in  the 
Commercial  Association.  And  he  stays  at  the  hotel 
all  the  time,  and  seems  afraid  to  leave  this  old  judge, 
and  collogues  with  the  German  professor  and  the  oc- 
cultist —  and,  let  me  say,  I've  seen  cripples  in  the 
hospital  that  were  worse-looking  than  she  is !  —  and 
what  in  thunder  it  means  beats  me." 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

"  He  wants  the  judge  and  the  professor  at  our  sup- 
per next  week,"  added  Slater. 

"  I've  sent  'em  invitations,"  said  Alvord.  "  Any- 
thing to  please  the  patient.  I  could  tell  you  a  good 
deal  about  this,  fellows ;  but  'Gene  and  I  are  brothers 
and  closer  than  brothers;  and  F.  D.  and  B.  goes  with 
me ;  but  it  won't  hurt  anything  for  you  to  know  that 
he's  got  carloads  of  trouble,  and  you  haven't  any  of 
you  come  within  a  mile  of  the  mark.  He  told  me  all 
about  it  the  night  he  got  back  from  New  York.  I 
think  it  will  blow  over  if  things  can  be  kept  from 
blowing  up  instead,  for  a  few  days  —  slumbering 
volcano  —  woman  scorned  —  hell's  fury,  you  know ; 
don't  ask  me  any  more.  But  this  hiding  out  won't 
do." 

"  Well,  I  should  think  not,"  said  Slater.  "  We've 
got  to  get  him  going  about  as  usual  or  there'll  be 
questions  asked  and  publicity  —  those  red-headed 
women  are  pretty  vivacious  conversationalists  when 
they  get  mad,  and  you  can't  tell  what  may  be  pulled 
off,  even  if  he  acts  as  natural  as  life." 

"  This  supper  ought  to  help  some,"  said  Edging- 
ton. 

"  It  will,"  said  Alvord.  "  We  must  make  it  a 
hum-dinger.  And  we  must  see  that  he  shows  him- 

153 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

self  oftener  at  the  club  and  lodge  meetings  and  hops. 
Why,  it's  shameful,  the  way  we've  let  him  drop  out." 
And  men  being  above  gossip,  at  this  point  the  meet- 
ing dissolved. 

At  the  hotel,  conference  after  conference  had  taken 
place  in  the  parlor  of  Professor  Blatherwick,  and 
Blodgett  and  Blatherwick's  Notes  had  been  studied 
out  most  assiduously.  Judge  Blodgett  and  Florian 
Amidon  had  spent  their  days  at  the  counting-house, 
and  an  increased  force  of  clerks  worked  ceaselessly  in 
making  up  statements  and  balances  showing  the  con- 
dition of  the  business.  Amidon  could  now  draw 
checks  in  the  name  of  Brassfield  with  no  more  than 
a  dim  sense  of  committing  forgery.  The  banks, 
however,  refused  to  honor  them  at  first,  and  the  tellers 
noted  the  fact  that  after  his  return  from  New  York 
Mr.  Brassfield  adopted  a  new  style  of  signature,  and 
wondered  at  it.  Some  noticed  a  change  in  all  his 
handwriting,  but  in  these  days  of  the  typewriter  such 
a  thing  makes  little  difference.  His  abstention  from 
bowling  (to  the  playing  of  which  Brassfield  had  been 
devoted),  and  his  absolute  failure  at  billiards,  were 
discussed  in  sporting  circles,  and  accounted  for  on 
the  theory  that  he  had  "  gone  stale  "  since  this  love- 

154 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

affair  had  become  the  absorbing  business  of  his  life. 
No  one  understood,  however,  his  sudden  interest  in 
photography,  and  his  marvelous  skill  in  it.  He 
seemed  to  be  altogether  a  transformed  man. 

"  I  am  beginning  to  see  through  this,"  said  Ami- 
don,  referring  to  the  business. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  judge,  "  this  side  of  the  affair  is 
assuming  a  pretty  satisfactory  aspect.  But  your  rep- 
utation is  suffering  by  the  sort  of  constraint  you've 
been  under.  These  things  are  important.  A  man's 
behavior  is  worth  money  to  him.  Many  a  man  gets 
credit  at  the  bank  on  the  strength  of  the  safe  and 
conservative  vices  he  practises.  Business  requires  you 
to  act  more  like  Brassfield.  A  man  who  uses  a  good 
deal  of  money  must  be  like  other  people  who  use  a 
good  deal  of  money.  He  mustn't  have  isms,  and  he 
mustn't  be  for  any  reforms  except  impractical  ones, 
and  he  mustn't  have  the  reputation  of  being  '  queer.' 
Isn't  that  so,  Professor  ?  " 

"  Kvite  uncontrofertible,"  said  the  professor.  "  You 
must  minkle  up  vit  more  beople." 

"  And  in  other  matters  besides  business,"  said  the 
judge;  "boxes  of  flowers  every  few  minutes  are  all 
right,  but  some  things  require  personal  attention." 

Amidon  blushed. 

155 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  You  see,"  said  he,  "  if  every  one  were  not  so 
strange ;  if  part  of  the  people  were  as  familiar  to  me 
as  I  am  to  them,  it  wouldn't  be  so  trying.  I  suppose 
these  receptions,  and  other  functions  to  follow,  I  must 
attend  alone.  But  you  two  are  going  to  that  ban- 
quet with  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  said  the  judge.  "  I  want  to  see 
just  what  sort  of  a  gang  you've  been  forgathering 
with  here.  The  folks  at  Hazelhurst " 

"  Must  never  know,  Judge !  And  you,  Profes- 
sor? " 

"  I  shall  be  more  tan  bleaced.  Supliminally  gon- 
sidered,  I  rekard  it  as  te  shance  of  a  lifetime." 

"  Well,"  said  Amidon,  "  you  are  very  good,  and 
I  am  glad  that's  settled.  Now  I  want  you  to  grant 
me  another  favor  —  or  Clara,  rather.  I  should  be 
more  than  glad  if  she  would  ask  Brassfield  about  some 
things  that  there's  no  need  for  you  people  to  hear. 
It's  nothing  about  the  business.  Won't  you  see  if 
she  will  give  me  a  —  a  —  demonstration  ?  " 

The  judge  and  the  professor  disappeared,  and  soon 
word  came  that  Madame  le  Claire  would  give  him 
audience.  Amidon's  heart  beat  stiflingly  as  he  came 
into  her  presence.  For  this  man's  conscience  was  a 
most  insubordinate  conscience,  and  held  as  wrong  the 

156 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

things  felt  and  thought,  as  well  as  things  said  and 
done;  and  his  remorse  was  as  that  of  an  abandoned 
but  repentant  jilt.  But  when  he  saw  how  cheerfully 
she  smiled,  he  grew  easier  in  his  mind.  The  women 
always  have  such  a  matter  fully  under  control  —  I 
mean  the  other  party's  mind. 

"Well?"  said  she  interrogatively — "at  last?  I 
have  been  wondering  why  I  was  brought  down  here  ?  " 

"  It  must  have  been  very  dull  and  lonesome " 

"  Oh,  no !  "  she  answered.  "  I  am  a  business  wom- 
an, you  know,  and  I  haven't  been  idle.  And  now, 
there  is  something  you  need,  my  friend?  Let  us  be- 
gin at  once." 

There  were  definite  repudiation  of  claims  to  ten- 
derness, clear  denial  of  resentment,  in  her  tone.  Ami- 
don  brightened  and  reddened.  He  stammered  like  a 
boy  teased  by  reference  to  his  first  love-affair. 

"  You  are  wonderfully  kind,"  he  said.  "  I  wanted 
to  ask  you  to  have  this  Brassfield  tell  you  all  he  will 
about  the  wedding  —  the  date,  and  everything  you 
can  get  out  of  the  fellow.  And  have  him  act  as 
naturally  as  you  can,  so  as  to  see  more  clearly  how 
he  carries  himself.  You  see  what  I  want,  don't 
you?" 

"  I  think  so,"  she  returned.  "  Conversation  must 
157 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

be  a  little  difficult,  isn't  it?  You  remembered  some  of 
the  things  I  told  you  about?  " 

"Difficult?"  he  exclaimed.  "Oh,  Clara,  it's  im- 
possible !  It's  so  much  so,  that  I  hardly  dare  go  back 
any  more.  I'm  sending  flowers  and  notes  and  doing 
the  best  I  can ;  but  it  won't  do  at  all :  I  must  call  of- 
tener  —  must !  And  I'm  afraid  I  have  spoiled  every- 
thing." 

"  Then  you  find  the  lady  quite  —  quite  endura- 
ble?" 

"  She's  adorable,"  went  on  Florian,  with  the  gush 
which  comes  at  the  first  opportunity  to  discuss  the 
dear  one  with  a  sympathetic  third  party.  "  She's 
perfectly  exquisite!  I  have  thought  of  nothing, 
dreamed  of  nothing,  since  I  left  her,  except,  ex- 
cept   " 

"  Ah ! "  said  Clara,  "  the  situation  must  be  per- 
fectly lovely  —  for  you  —  both And  I'm  sure 

you  got  along  nicely." 

"  No,  no !  I  spoiled  everything,  I  know  I  did. 
But  bring  this  fellow  up  and  ask  him  those  things, 

please ;  and  also  about  a  Miss  Scarlett No, 

leave  that  out.  Just  about  the  wedding,  and  about 
—  I  was  going  to  ask  about  our  house;  but  the  judge 
found  that  out,  where  it  is,  and  all.  Just  about  the 

158 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

—  the  things  between  her  and  me,  a  little  more,  you 
know ! " 

The  hypnotic  subject  yields  to  control  more  and 
more  readily  by  repeated  surrender.  So  there  was 
little  of  gazing  into  the  party-colored  eyes  now. 

"  You  will  soon  sleep,"  said  Madame  le  Claire,  in 
that  dominating  way  of  hers ;  "  and  when  you  wake 
you  will  be  Eugene  Brassfield  just  as  he  used  to  be, 
and  the  room  and  all  the  surroundings,  and  myself 

—  all  will  seem  familiar,  and  you  will  be  quite  at 
home  with  me.     Sleep,  sleep  !  " 

Her  hand  swept  down  and  closed  his  eyes,  and  he 
lay  back  in  his  chair  entranced.  Madame  le  Claire 
sat  long  and  looked  at  him  yearningly.  She  smoothed 
back  the  hair  from  his  brow  with  many  soft  touches, 
and  stooped  and  softly  kissed  his  forehead.  Then 
she  lightly  tapped  his  wrist,  and  sharply  said, 
"Wake!" 

Eugene  Brassfield  opened  his  eyes  with  a  smile. 
There  was  something  still  faintly  suggestive  of  ten- 
derness in  the  look  with  which  Madame  le  Claire  re- 
garded him,  and  he  returned  it  with  the  air  of  a  man 
to  whom  such  looks  are  neither  unusual  nor  repug- 
nant. 

"  We  were  just  talking,"  said  she,  with  the  air  of 
159 


reminding  him  of  a  topic  from  which  he  had  wan- 
dered, "  about  your  wedding.  When  is  it  to  be  ?  " 

"  The  appointed  date,"  said  he,  "  is  April  the  fifth ; 
but,  of  course,  I  shall  move  for  an  earlier  one  if  pos- 
sible." 

"  I  should  think,"  remarked  Madame  le  Claire, 
"  that  the  date  fixed  would  give  Miss  Waldron  all  too 
short  a  time  for  preparation." 

"  From  a  woman's  standpoint,"  said  Mr.  Brassfield, 
"  it  probably  seems  so.  But  you  and  I  can  surely 
find  matters  of  more  mutual  interest  to  talk  about, 
can't  we  ?  " 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  girl,  "  but  I  don't  think  of 
anything  just  now.  Do  you?" 

"  Well,  for  one  thing,"  said  he,  "  I  have  just  found 
out  what  makes  your  eyes  so  beautiful." 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  just  as  well  to  cease  discovering 
things  of  that  kind?  It's  so  short  a  time  to  the  fifth 
of  April,  you  know." 

"  I've  made  all  my  money,"  said  Brassfield,  "  by 
never  quitting  discovering.  I  like  it.  And  this  last 
find  especially." 

"  I  think  there  are  other  lines  of  investigation," 
said  she,  "  which  demand  your  time  and  attention." 

"  Oh,  pshaw !  "  said  he.  "  Don't  be  so  prudish. 
160 


There  she  sits  so  attentive  to  her  book  that  his  entrance  has  not 
attracted  her  notice  Page  p/ 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

You  know  that  your  eyes  are  beautiful,  and  you  are 
not  really  offended  when  I  tell  you  so.  Such  eyes 
are  the  books  in  which  I  like  to  read  —  I  can  under- 
stand them  better  than  Browning,  or  the  old  Persian 
soak.  It's  not  unpleasant  to  get  a  volume  you  un- 
derstand —  at  times." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Amidon  —  Brassfield,  I  mean  — 
aren't  you  ashamed  of  yourself ! " 

"  A  little,"  said  he ;  "  not  much,  though.  And 
who  is  this  *  Mr.  Amman,'  or  whatever  the  name  is, 
that  is  so  much  in  your  mind  that  you  call  me  by  his 
name  when  you  speak  without  thinking?  " 

"  A  dear  friend  of  mine !  " 

"  Well,  now,  if  you  should  happen  to  see  some- 
thing agreeable  in  me,  and  should  let  me  know  about 
it,  I  shouldn't  throw  your  Mr.  Amden,  or  Amidon,  at 
your  head.  Why  not  forget  about  the  rest  of  the 
world  for  a  while?  We  can  be  in  only  one  place  at 
a  time,  and  so,  really,  our  whole  world  just  now  has 
only  us  two.  You  oughtn't  to  repel  the  only  person 
in  the  wide,  wide  world ;  you  won't,  will  you  ?  " 

"Don't  be  foolish!" 

"  Don't  be  wasteful !  This  may  be  the  only  world 
of  this  kind  we  shall  be  allowed  to  have.  Come  over 
and  sit  by  me  and  be  nice  to  me,  won't  you  ?  " 

161 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  I  certainly  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind !  " 

"  No  ?  Ah,  how  wasteful  of  opportunity !  Well, 
then,  I  shall  have  to  come  to  you ! " 

Oh,  the  depravity  of  society  in  these  days,  and  oh, 
the  unpleasantness  of  setting  these  things  down !  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  what  a  comfort  it  is  to  think  that 
men  as  base  as  Brassfield  are  so  rare  that  you  and  I, 
my  boy,  have  probably  never  met  a  specimen.  And 
if  you  ever  find,  my  love,  that  any  person  in  whom 
you  have  any  tender  interest  has  ever  behaved  in  a 
way  similar  to  the  conduct  of  Brassfield,  you  should 
give  the  prisoner  the  benefit  of  every  doubt,  and  ac- 
cord full  weight  to  the  precedent  contained  in  this 
history,  and  to  the  fact  that  it  was  Brassfield  and  not 
Amidon  who  did  this.  A  man  can  not  be  blamed 
for  lapsing  into  the  Brassfield  state.  A  man  should 
be  acquitted  —  eh?  Defending  some  one?  Why, 
certainly  not !  And  how  long  this  paragraph  is  grow- 
ing! Yes,  I  feel  sure  Clara  Blatherwick  repulsed 
these  advances  as  she  should,  and  that  Brassfield,  be- 
ing fully  under  "  control,"  did  not  —  why,  of  course 
not,  as  you  say! 

But  I  am  going  no  further  with  the  matter  now; 
except  to  say  that  in  something  like  an  hour  Mr. 
Amidon  departed  much  perturbed  by  the  prospect  of 

162 


THE  TREASON  OF  ISEGRIM  THE  WOLF 

the  nearness  of  his  happiness,  fully  convinced  of  his 
unworthiness,  and  quakingly  uncertain  as  to  many 
things,  but  most  of  all,  just  then,  as  to  his  clothes! 

"  This  man  Brassfield,"  said  he  to  himself, "  seems 
to  have  been  a  good  deal  of  a  dude,  and  Elizabeth  — 
the  darling !  —  will  expect  me  to  be  fully  up  to  vogue 
in  this  regard  —  as  she  will  be  in  all  things.  And  I 
don't  believe  a  thing  has  been  done  about  clothes." 

Meantime,  Madame  le  Claire  walked  up  and  down 
in  a  locked  chamber,  struggling  with  her  grief. 

"  Oh,  it  is  hopeless,  hopeless !  "  said  the  poor  girl 
to  herself,  over  and  over  again.  "  Florian,  my  dar- 
ling Florian,  whom  I  found  blind  and  wandering  in 
the  wilderness,  and  took  by  the  hand  and  guided  to 
the  light  —  Florian  has  gone  from  me !  She  has 
taken  him,  just  as  she  took  him  before.  But  the  man 
she  thinks  loves  her  —  her  Eugene  —  I'm  sure  he's 
coming  to  love  me;  and  to  be  tired  of  her!  And  I 
could  keep  him  Brassfield,  if  I  chose  —  if  I  chose ! 
I  wonder  —  I  wonder  if  it  would  be  wrong?  What 
would  she  do  if  she  had  my  power?  Twice  I  had  to 
try,  before  I  could  restore  him.  I  could !  I  could !  " 

Small  wonder,  therefore,  that  Madame  le  Claire  sat 
wild-eyed  and  excited,  and  flew  fearfully  to  Judge 

163 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Blodgett  and  the  professor,  when  Mr.  Brassfield  went 
free,  with  Alderson  at  heel.  And  all  the  time,  as  the 
crew  of  a  ship  carry  on  the  routine  of  drill  while  the 
torpedo  is  speeding  for  her  hull,  these  social  ameni- 
ties went  on  all  unconscious  of  the  explosion  now 
imminent. 


164 


XV 

THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD 

Man  to  black  Misfortune  beckons 
When  upon  himself  he  reckons, 
Marshals  Faith  among  his  assets, 
Blinks  his  nature's  many  facets. 
This  dull  gem  is  an  ascetic, 
Bloodless,  pulseless,  apathetic: 
Shift  the  light  —  a  trifling  matter  — 
Fra  Anselmo  turns  a  satyr! 

—  The  Kaleidoscope. 

Airily,  Mr.  Brassfield  preceded  his  clerk  down  the 
stairway,  and  out  into  the  street.  There,  something 
in  the  air  —  the  balm  of  advancing  spring ;  a 
faint  chill,  the  Parthian  shot  of  retreating  winter; 
some  psychic  apprehension  of  the  rising  sap ;  the 
slight  northing  of  the  sun;  or  some  subconscious 
clutch  at  knowledge  of  minute  alterations  in  the  land- 
scape —  apprised  Mr.  Brassfield's  strangely  circum- 
scribed mind  of  the  maladjustment  with  time  result- 
ing from  the  reign  of  Amidon.  But  however  bewil- 
dered Florian's  mentality  might  become  at  such  things, 

it  was  different  with  Brassfield.     The  plane  of  con- 

165 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

sciousness  in  which  he  had  so  long  moved,  with  a 
memory  running  back  five  years  and  there  ending  in 
a  blank  wall  of  nescience,  had  made  him  cunning  and 
shifty  —  necessarily  so.  The  struggle  for  existence 
had  had  its  inevitable  effect  —  the  faculty  paralyzed 
had  been  compensated  for  by  the  development  of  oth- 
ers. So  he  was  not  at  all  at  a  loss  now,  when  this 
little  hiatus  in  time  struck  on  his  mind  in  the  form 
of  a  suspicion.  He  turned  to  Alderson  with  a  smile. 

"  Do  you  remember  what  date  this  is,  my  boy  ?  " 
he  inquired. 

Alderson  named  the  date.  Brassfield  nodded,  as  if 
he  were  pleased  to  find  Alderson  correct  in  his  exer- 
cises.. 

"  Of  course  you  know  what  we've  arranged  for  to- 
day, don't  you?  "  he  went  on. 

"  The  deferred  annual  meeting  of  the  Construc- 
tion Company  ?  "  asked  Alderson.  "  If  that's  it,  it's 
all  attended  to.  I  took  the  proxies  to  Mr.  Smith 
yesterday." 

"  Good !  "  was  Brassfield's  hearty  response.  "  You'll 
do  for  an  animated  *  office  tickler '  if  you  continue  to 
improve.  You  used  to  forget  all  these  things." 

They  had  now  come  to  a  certain  turning,  down 
which  Brassfield  gazed,  to  a  place  where  the  highway 

166 


THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD 

was  torn  up  and  excavated.  A  center  line  of  bowed 
backs,  fringed  by  flying  dirt,  indicated  that  the  work 
was  still  in  progress. 

"  You  may  go  on  to  the  office,"  said  Brassfield, 
"  and  I'll  be  up  immediately.  I'm  going  down  to 
see  Barney  Conlon  a  moment." 

He  walked  down  among  the  men,  nodding  to  the 
busy  ones,  and  stopping  for  a  handshake  or  a  joke 
with  others. 

"  Hello,  Barney,"  he  shouted  to  the  man  who 
seemed  to  be  in  charge.  "  How  long  are  you  going 
to  keep  people  jumping  sideways  to  prevent  them- 
selves from  being  buried  alive?  You  old  Fenian!  " 

Conlon  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  with  an  air  of 
distinct  disfavor. 

"  Look  out  there ! "  he  shouted  to  a  teamster  who 
was  unloading  pipe.  "  D'ye  want  to  kill  the  min  in 
the  trinch?  Ah,  is  thot  you,  Mr.  Brassfield?  " 

"  What's  left  of  me,"  replied  Brassfield,  quickly 
aware  of  the  coolness  of  the  reception  —  the  poli- 
tician's sensitiveness  to  danger.  "  By  the  way,  Con- 
Ion,  can't  you  come  up  to  the  office  soon?  I've  got 
some  specifications  I  want  you  to  see.  Pipe-line. 
Can  you  do  that  sort  of  work  ?  " 

"  Do  it! "  gushed  Conlon,  thawing.  "  Do  it!  Ah, 
167 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Mr.  Brassfield,  d'ye  ask  me  thot,  whin  ye  mind  'twas 
me  thot  done  the  Rogers  j  ob !  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  remember  now,  you  did  have  that," 
said  Brassfield.  "  Well,  that  was  fairly  well  done. 
Come  up  and  figure  with  me,  and  I  believe  we  can 
make  a  deal." 

"  Thank  ye  kindly,  Mr.  Brassfield,"  said  Conlon, 
all  his  obsequiousness  returning.  "  Thank  ye !  Anny- 
thing  new  in  politics,  Mr.  Brassfield  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  a  thing,"  said  Brassfield.  "  I'm  so 
busy  with  other  things,  you  know 

"  It'll  be  a  great  honor,"  said  Conlon,  "  or  so  I 
should  take  it,  to  be  the  mare  of  the  city,  an'  the  mas- 
ter of  the  fine  new  house  an'  all  that'll  be  in  it,  all 
this  same  spring !  " 

"  Yes,  Conlon,  yes  —  but  as  to  the  office  —  I  don't 
know  about  that." 

"  They  can't  bate  you,"  asseverated  Conlon 
promptly. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  demurred  Brassfield.  "  You 
can't  always  tell." 

"  We're  wid  ye,  to  a  man,"  asserted  Conlon  unhesi- 
tatingly, growing  warmer.  "  The  common  people  are 
wid  ye ! " 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  that,"  said  Brassfield,  "  very 
168 


THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD 

glad.  But  business  first;  and  this  pipe-line  is  busi- 
ness. Of  course,  if  the  people  demand  it " 

"They  will!" 

" —  why,  I  may I'll  see,  Conlon.  Anyhow, 

I  appreciate  your  friendship.  Come  up  and  see  me." 

And  the  candidate  for  mayor  walked  away,  won- 
dering how  he  could  have  offended  Conlon,  and  re- 
joiced that  he  had  "  fixed  "  him  in  time. 

"  Where's  the  telegram  ?  "  he  asked,  as  he  entered 
his  private  office.  "  Why,  Stevens  might  have  at- 
tended to  this.  Where's  Mr.  Stevens  ?  Miss  Strong, 
send  Mr.  Stevens  in !  " 

"  Mr.  Stevens !  "  gasped  Miss  Strong.  "  Mr.  Ste- 
vens —  why " 

"  Oh,  I  mean  where  does  he  live  now  ?  I  heard  he 
was  moving.  And  by  sending  him  in,  I  mean,  if  you 
happen  to  meet  him,"  hastily  amended  Mr.  Brass- 
field,  noting  some  error.  "  I  want  to  see  him.  And 
show  me  his  account,  please;  and  kindly  ring  for  a 
boy  to  take  this  message." 

The  books  showed  the  discharge  of  Mr.  Stevens, 
and  the  closing  of  his  account.  Brassfield  frowned 
over  it,  but  resumed  his  smile  at  Miss  Strong's  re- 
entrance. 

"  Let's  see,"  said  he.  "  What  have  we  for  this 
169 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

afternoon?  These  unanswered  —  Why,  Miss  Strong, 
these  must  be  attended  to  at  once!  Please  take  some 
letters  for  me." 

He  had  dropped  into  his  rut.  For  an  hour  or 
more  Miss  Strong's  fingers  flew  as  she  noted  down  his 
dictation,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  letters  were 
answered,  and  the  communications  which  had  so  per- 
plexed Amidon  were  filed  away  among  other  things 
done.  The  office  force  breathed  freely  once  more, 
with  the  freedom  of  returning  efficiency  in  manage- 
ment. 

The  man  who  had  brought  this  relief  to  his  em- 
ployees now  looked  at  his  watch,  rose,  went  out,  and 
walking  briskly  down  the  main  street,  nodding  to  an 
acquaintance  here,  and  speaking  to  another  there, 
made  his  way  out  among  the  homes  of  the  town. 

Here  his  brisk  walk  gradually  slowed  down  to  a 
saunter.  He  was  strolling  toward  the  house  with  the 
white  columns.  Suddenly  coming  into  view,  as  she 
turned  a  corner  and  walked  on  before  him,  appeared 
a  young  lady.  Not  much  ability  in  the  detective  line 
would  be  necessary  for  the  recognition  of  her  by  any 
of  this  girl's  acquaintances,  within  any  ordinary  range 
of  vision.  If  there  were  no  certain  revelation  in  the 
short,  smartly-attired,  quick-moving  figure,  there 

170 


THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD 

could  be  no  mistake  concerning  the  vividly  brilliant 
hair,  which  glowed  under  the  saucily-turned  fabric 
of  felt,  feathers,  and  velvet  which  crowned  it,  like  a 
brilliant  cloud  display  over  a  red  sunset.  Mr.  Brass- 
field  seemed  to  recognize  her,  for  he  quickened  his 
pace  so  as  to  overtake  her  before  she  could  come  to  a 
gateway,  into  which  her  glance  and  movements  indi- 
cated that  she  was  about  to  turn.  He  walked  up  by 
her  side,  and  manifested  to  her  his  presence  by  fall- 
ing into  step  and  lightly  pinching  her  shapely  el- 
bow. 

"  How-de-do,  Daisy-daise ! "  said  he,  with  the  ut- 
most assurance.  "  When  did  you  bring  the  town  the 
blessing  of  your  presence  ?  " 

The  lady  gave  a  little  scream. 

"  'Gene  Brassfield!  "  she  ejaculated;  and  then,  with 
a  little  quivering  emphasis,  "  You !  How  you  fright- 
ened me ! " 

"  I  know,  I  know ! "  replied  Brassfield,  peeping 
under  the  big  hat  into  her  eyes.  "  Almost  scared  to 
death,  as  is  quite  proper.  But,  to  my  question:  how 
long,  how  long  hast  been  here  ?  " 

"  Oh,  several  days  —  before  you  came  back.  Aunty 
wanted  me  to  be  here  when  her  sister,  my  Aunt  Hun- 
ter from  Hazelhurst  —  that's  up  in  Wisconsin  — 

171 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

visits  her.  There's  to  be  a  reception.  Of  course 
you'll  be  there,  and " 

"  Of  course,"  responded  Brassfield.  "  Did  I  ever 
absent  myself  from  any  social  affair  in  which  your 
charming  aunt,  Mrs.  Pumphrey,  is  interested?  Nay, 
nay ;  but  don't  dodge.  Why  this  throw-down  ?  Why 
didn't  you  let  me  know " 

"  'Gene,"  said  the  girl,  "  you  can't  deceive  me. 
I'm  ashamed  that  I  wrote  the  note,  and  your  telling 
a  fib  about  getting  it  won't  make  it  any  better.  But 
it  was  wicked  of  you  not  to  answer.  I  only  wanted 
you  to  come  to  me  and  —  and  talk  it  all  over,  and 
say  good-by  for  ever.  It  wasn't  necessary  to " 

"  I  have  never  received  any  note,"  said  Brassfield, 
totally  unconscious  of  the  missive  which  Amidon  had 
promptly  waste-basketed.  "  What  was  it?  " 

"  Really  ?  Didn't  you  ?  "  she  queried,  pouting  her 
red  lips  most  kissably.  "  A  little  note,  unsigned, 
with  some  —  some  verses  ?  No  ?  Then  I'll  forgive 
you  —  for  that.  But  —  go  on,  'Gene,  up  to  the 
house  yonder  —  go  on !  " 

"  You  oughtn't  to  be  permitted  to  run  at  large," 
said  he,  "  with  that  hat,  and  those  lips.  I  wonder  if 
any  one's  looking?  " 

"  You  mustn't  talk  that  way,"  she  said,  "  nor  look 


THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD 

at  me  like  that !  Go  on,  or  I  shall  cry  —  or  some- 
thing quite  as  bad !  Or,  maybe  you'll  come  in  ?  Billy 
Cox  is  in  there  waiting  for  me,  and  watching,  I  dare 
say." 

"  Some  other  time,"  replied  Brassfield,  "  I  shall  be 
delighted.  But  Miss  Waldron  has  just  been  driven 
out  into  the  street,  and  if  she  comes  this  way,  I  must 
exhibit  myself  to  her,  and  maybe  she'll  pick  me  up. 

She's  turning  this  way Billy,  eh?  Happy  Billy ; 

nice  boy,  too,  since  he  stopped  drinking.  By-by, 
Daisy-daise !  " 

Elizabeth  came  driving  down  the  road,  and  walking 
up  it  came  Aaron,  sable  messenger  of  the  anxious 
Madame  le  Claire,  who  had  enlisted  Aaron  in  her  ser- 
vice to  bring  Brassfield  again  within  her  magic  realm. 
He  reached  the  object  of  his  search  before  the  car- 
riage passed,  and  delivered  a  note. 

"  Tell  Madame  le  Claire,"  said  Brassfield,  whose 
ideas  with  reference  to  that  person  must  have  been 
very  hazy,  "  that  such  an  invitation  is  a  command. 
I'll  be  with  her  immediately." 

He  stood  smiling,  hat  in  hand,  at  the  crossing,  as 
Elizabeth  drove  by.  She  halted,  and  looked  ques- 
tioningly  at  him.  This  smile,  this  confident  aspect 
—  all  these  were  so  different  from  his  recent  bearing 

173 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

that  she  was  surprised,  and  not  more  than  half  pleased. 
The  element  of  assurance  in  his  attitude  toward  the 
other  girl  was  not  seen  in  his  treatment  of  Elizabeth, 
to  whom  it  would  have  been  offensive.  Perhaps  the 
cunning  of  the  consciously  abnormal  intellect  was  the 
cause  of  this;  or  it  may  have  been  some  emanation 
of  dignity  from  the  woman  herself  acting  on  a 
mind  in  a  state  chronically  hypnotic.  Be  the  cause 
what  it  may,  to  Elizabeth,  with  all  his  confidence  and 
ardor,  he  was  most  deferential  and  correct  in  man- 
ners, and,  to  her,  these  manners  had  undergone  no 
change.  Confidently,  as  if  no  shadow  had  ever  come 
over  their  relations,  he  put  his  foot  upon  the  step  of 
the  carriage. 

"  Won't  you  give  me  a  lift,"  said  he,  "  and  put 
me  down  at  my  home  ?  " 

She  made  room  for  him  with  scarcely  more  than  a 
word.  "  To  the  Bellevale  House,"  said  she  to  the 
coachman. 

Brassfield  looked  at  her,  so  grave,  so  distmguee, 
so  coolly  sweet,  and  forgot  apparently  that  there  was 
any  one  else  in  the  world.  He  slipped  his  hand  under 
the  lap-robe,  and  gave  hers  a  gentle  pressure. 

"  Dearest ! "  he  half-whispered,  caring  very  little 
whether  he  was  overheard  or  not. 

174 


THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD 

She  returned  the  caress  by  the  slightest  possible 
compression,  and  put  her  hand  outside  the  robe. 
Whether  the  one  action  was  incited  by  a  desire  to 
avoid  complete  unresponsiveness,  and  from  a  sense  of 
duty  only,  the  other  left  undecided. 

The  circumscribed  mind  of  Brassfield  which,  with 
the  intensity  of  observation  rendered  necessary  and 
inevitable  by  its  narrow  field,  had  noted,  as  he  stepped 
out  in  the  street,  the  intangible  shifting  of  relations 
in  his  surroundings  incident  to  the  mere  passage  of 
time  in  the  few  days  of  his  obliteration,  now  felt,  as 
a  blind  man  feels  the  mountain  in  his  approach,  or 
as  the  steersman  in  a  Newfoundland  fog  apprehends 
the  nearing  of  the  iceberg,  some  subtle  alteration  in 
the  attitude  toward  him  of  the  young  woman  by  his 
side.  Instantly  he  was  on  guard  and  keenly  alert. 

"  This  is  a  case,"  said  he,  "  of  the  prophet  coming 
to  the  mountain.  I  was  on  my  way  to  you,  and  lo, 
I  met  you  coming  my  way  —  let  me  hope  coming  to 
me  —  after  seeing  me !  " 

"  The  mountain  is  at  liberty  to  draw  his  own  con- 
clusions," said  Miss  Waldron.  "  One  may  be  rea- 
sonably charged  with  the  design  of  meeting  every  one 
in  Bellevale  when  one  goes  out." 

"  The  mountain,  then,"  said  he,  "  must  be  content 
175 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

with  its  place  as  a  portion  of  the  landscape  —  happy 
if  it  pleases  the  prophet's  eye." 

"  The  prophet  did  not  foresee  —  but  let's  have 
mercy  on  the  poor  hunted  figure.  I  was  about  to 
say  that  your  occupation  —  or  preoccupation  —  as  I 
drove  down  the  street  brought  to  my  attention  a  new 
phase  of  our  scenery  —  a  brilliant  one.  Is  this  the 
girl  I  used  to  know  as  Daisy  Scarlett?  " 

"  It  must  be,"  said  Brassfield,  "  and  it  surprises 
me  that  you  speak  of  knowing  her  as  of  the  past. 
How  does  it  happen  ?  " 

"  The  exile  of  school,"  she  answered,  "  and  the 
fact  that  her  visits  to  Bellevale  have  not  been  during 
such  vacations  as  the  girls  would  let  me  spend  with 
Auntie.  It's  my  loss  —  I  have  lived  too  tame  a  life." 

"  I,  too ;  let's  take  the  trail  for  sensations." 

"  Let  me  begin  with  a  mild  one,"  said  Elizabeth. 
"  Estelle  writes  me  that  she  has  been  away  from  New 
York  for  the  past  month.  So  you  are  not  a  con- 
victed criminal,  at  least." 

Brassfield  scanned  her  face  to  get  the  revelation  of 
every  turn  of  expression,  as  an  aid  to  this  mysterious 
reference  to  Estelle  as  related  to  his  visit  to  New 
York. 

"  That's  good,"  said  he  promptly,  and  with  mar- 
176 


THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD 

velous  luck,  "  even  a  verdict  of  *  not  proven  '  is  a  glad 
surprise  on  returning  from  New  York.  By  the  way, 
Bessie  dear,  won't  you  drive  over  by  that  gang  of 
men  ?  The  foreman  seems  to  want  to  speak  to  me." 

Entirely  oblivious  of  this  dexterous  turn,  Miss  Wal- 
dron  complied,  and  drew  up  to  the  place  where  Bar- 
ney Conlon's  gang  still  labored  in  the  trench. 

"  What  is  it,  Conlon?  "  asked  Brassfield. 

"  I  was  wonderin',  sir,"  said  Conlon,  hat  in  hand, 
"  if  I  could  see  you  at  your  office  in  a  half-hour  or 
so.  I'd  not  ask  it,  sir,  if  it  wasn't  important.  It's 
about  the  business  you  was  speakin'  to  me  about  this 
marnin'." 

"  Ah,  yes :  the  pipe-line,"  said  Brassfield.  "  Be  at 
the  office  in  half  an  hour,  Conlon.  Drive  to  the  top 
of  the  hill,  William.  So  goes  our  search  for  new 
thrills  —  road  runs  slap  into  pipe-lines  and  business, 
dearie." 

"Well,  we  mustn't  find  fault  with  it  for  that," 
said  she.  "  I've  wanted  to  say  to  you  —  since  the 
other  evening  —  that  I  can  see  widening  vistas  show- 
ing oceans  of  good  things  I  never  reckoned  on  in  the 
least.  And  when  I  get  unreasonable  and  generally 
brutal  and  abusive,  I  am  not  really  and  fundamentally 
so  any  more  than  I  am  now !  " 

177 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  I  know,  dearest ;  I  know,  Bessie.  And,  now,  don't 
give  yourself  a  minute's  uneasiness  about  anything 
that  took  place.  I  apologize  for  everything  out  of 
the  proper  which  I  said " 

"  Which  you  said?  " 

"  Yes  —  yes !  You  were  quite  right,  and  I  never 
loved  you  more  than  then  —  except  now.  Let's  not 
allude  to  it  again,  but  just  go  on  as  before." 

"  Not  quite  as  before,"  said  she.  "  I'll  not  ask 
you  why  you  kept  back  so  many  of  your  —  your  my 
—  qualities  from  me  —  must  you  get  down  here  at 
this  old  counting-room  ?  —  and  I'll  only  ask  you  two 
questions  —  cramp  the  carriage  a  little  more,  Will- 
iam! One  is,  where  can  I  get  a  copy  of  the  first  edi- 
tion of  Child's  Scottish  Ballads  —  wasn't  that  the 
name  of  the  '  Dark  Tower '  book  ?  " 

"  You  may  search  me,  Bessie,"  said  he,  standing 
by  the  curb  in  front  of  his  office.  "  Don't  think  I 
ever  heard  of  it." 

"  Oh,  Eugene !  "  cried  Elizabeth,  "  don't  take  that 
attitude  again !  But  bring  it  up  to  me  when  you 
come  to  begin  our  readings  in  Pippa  Passes!  " 

"  Ah!  Now  you  are  joking!  Good-by,  Bess.  Un- 
less I'm  run  over  between  now  and  eight-thirty,  you 
may  look  for  me.  By-by !  " 

178 


THE  TURPITUDE  OF  BRASSFIELD 

Not  quite  so  fortunate,  this  last  five  minutes  of 
conversation.  But  all  unaware  of  that  fact,  Brass- 
field  went  back  into  the  private  office,  and  found  Con- 
Ion  awaiting  him.  Brassfield  opened  a  drawer  and 
drew  out  a  roll  of  drawings  and  typewritten  specifica- 
tions. 

"  Now  as  to  this  contract,  Conlon "  he  be- 
gan. 

"  Ixcuse  me,  Misther  Brassfield,"  interrupted  Con- 
Ion,  "  but  the  contract  may  wait :  some  things  won't. 
What's  the  matther  with  Edgington?  " 

"Edgington?  The  matter?  What  do  you 
mean  ?  " 

Conlon  leaned  over  the  shelf  of  the  roll-top  desk, 
and  pressed  upon  a  paper-weight  with  his  knobby 
thumb. 

"  Thin  ye  don't  know,"  said  he  impressively,  "  that 
he's  out  pluggin'  up  a  dale  to  bate  you  an'  nominate 
McCorkle!" 

Brassfield  faced  him  smilingly. 

"  Oh,  that  notion  of  Edgington's ! "  said  he. 
"  That  amounts  to  nothing !  If  you  and  my  other 
strong  friends  stay  by  me,  there's  nothing  to  fear. 
I'm  glad  you  know  of  that  little  whim  of  Edging- 
ton's.  But  about  this  contract.  Now,  I  usually 

179 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

look  after  these  things  myself,  and  do  them  by  days' 
work.  But  if  I  am  forced  to  take  this  office  of 
mayor,  I  sha'n't  be  able  to  do  this  —  won't  have  the 
time ;  and  I'll  want  you  to  do  it.  Perhaps  I'd  better 
give  you  a  check  on  account  now  —  say  on  the  terms 
of  the  Rogers'  job?  All  right,  there's  five  hundred. 
That  settles  the  contract.  Now  with  that  off  our 
minds,  let's  talk  of  the  political  situation.  You  can 
see  that,  being  forced  into  this,  I  don't  want  to  be 
skinned.  Now,  what  can  you  do,  Conlon  ?  " 

"Do?"  said  Conlon.  "Ask  anny  of  the  byes 
that've  got  things  in  the  past!  Wait  till  the  car- 
kuses  an'  ye'll  see.  But  mind,  Misther  Brassfield, 
don't  be  too  unconscious.  Edgington  an'  McCorkle, 
startin'  in  on  the  run  the  day  of  carkuses,  may  have 
good  cards.  WatcK  thim ! " 


180 


XVI 

THE    OFFICE    GOES    IN    QUEST    OF    THE    MAN 

Victory  brings  peace  without; 

Amity  conquers  within. 
How  can  my  thought  hide  a  doubt? 

Doubt  in  the  mighty  is  sin! 
Yet,  as  I  watch  from  my  height, 

Rearing  his  spears  like  a  wood, 
On  swarms  the  dun  Muscovite  — 

Slavish,  inebriate,  rude! 
Dim-seen,  within  the  profound, 

Shapeless,  insensate,  malign, 
Fold  within  dragon-fold  wound, 

Opes  the  dread  Mongol  his  eyne! 
One  ivaking,  one  in  the  field  — 
Foe  after  foe  still  I  see. 
Last  of  them  all,  half-revealed 
Prophecy's  eye  rests  on  —  Me! 

—  A  Racial  Reverie. 

Mr.  Brassfield  sat  alone,  listening  to  Barney  Con- 
Ion's  retreating  footsteps.  A  few  years  ago  I  could 
have  described  the  solitude  of  the  deserted  counting- 
house,  and  made  a  really  effective  scene  of  it.  Now, 
however,  telephones  exist  to  deny  us  the  boon.  No 
sooner  do  we  find  ourselves  a  moment  alone,  than  we 

think  of  some  one  to  whom  we  imagine  we  have  some- 

181 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

thing  to  say,  and  call  him  up  over  the  wire;  or,  con- 
versely, he  thinks  of  us  with  like  results.  Conlon's 
back  was  scarcely  turned  before  Brassfield  took  down 
the  receiver  and  asked  for  Alvord's  residence. 

"  Jim,"  said  he,  "  I've  just  found  out  that  Sheol  is 
popping  about  town.  .  .  :  .  Yes,  it's  Edgington. 
Conlon  tells  me  he's  out  for  McCorkle  and  against 
me.  .  .  .  Well,  maybe  not,  but  Conlon  generally 
knows.  You  must  go  out  and  run  it  down.  We 
can't  have  McCorkle  nominated  —  you  can  see  why. 
All  right.  I'll  wait  for  you  somewhere  out 
of  sight.  ...  In  the  Turkish  room  at  Tony's? 
Very  well :  I  had  another  engagement,  but  I 
must  call  that  off.  Thanks,  old  man.  I  shall  rely 
on  you !  Good-by !  " 

Up  went  the  receiver,  and  then,  almost  at  once  was 
lifted  to  Brassfield's  ear  again  as  he  sent  in  a  call  for 
Miss  Waldron's  residence. 

"  Is  this  758?  Is  Miss  Waldron  at  home?  .  .  . 
Yes,  if  you  please.  .  .  .  This  you,  Bess?  Well, 
I'm  in  the  hardest  of  hard  luck.  Things  have  come 
up  which  will  keep  me  cooped  up  all  the  even- 
ing. .  .  .  You're  awfully  good  to  say  so!  Good 
night,  dearest ! " 

The  lock  clicked  behind  him,  and  he  was  out  on 
182 


ex 


THE  OFFICE  GOES  IN  QUEST  OF  THE  MAN 

the  street  once  more.  Came  into  view  a  figure  which 
was  clearly  that  of  a  stranger  to  Bellevale,  and  yet 
had  an  oddly  familiar  air  to  Brassfield,  as  it  moved 
uncertainly  along  the  darkening  highway.  It  came 
to  the  point  of  meeting  and  halted,  facing  Brassfield 
squarely. 

"  I  peg  bardon,"  it  said,  "  but  haf  I  the  honor  of 
attressing  Herr  Brassfield,  or  Herr  Amidon  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Brassfield,"  was  the  reply.  "  What 
can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  stopping  at  the  Bellevale  House,"  said  the 
professor.  "  Blatherwick  is  my  name.  I  hat  hoped 
that  you  might  rekonice  me,  as " 

"  I  am  sorry  to  dispel  your  hope,"  said  Brassfield. 
"  What  do  you  want  with  me  ?  " 

"  I  should  pe  klad  to  haf  you  aggompany  me  to 
my  rooms,"  said  the  professor,  "  vere  I  shouldt  es- 
deem  it  a  brifiliche  to  bresent  you  to  my  daughter, 
and  show  you  some  dests  in  occult  phenomena.  As 
the  shief  citizen  of  the  city " 

"  My  good  man,"  said  Brassfield,  "  whatever  would 
be  my  attitude  ordinarily  toward  your  very  kind,  if 
rather  unlooked-for,  invitation,  permit  me  now  to  de- 
cline on  account  of  pressure  of  business.  Ordinarily 
I  should  be  curious  to  know  just  what  kind  of  game 

183 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

you've  got,  as  I  haven't  enough  in  my  pockets  to  be 
worth  your  while  to  flimflam  me.  Pardon  me,  if  I 
seem  abrupt." 

And  he  hurried  down  the  street,  leaving  the  pro- 
fessor drifting  aimlessly  in  his  wake,  vibrating  be- 
tween anger  and  perplexity. 

"  I  wonder  where  I've  seen  that  man  ?  "  thought 
Brassfield.  Dim  reminiscences  of  such  a  figure  sit- 
ting in  shadowy  background,  while  a  glorious  tigrine 
woman  ruled  over  some  realm  only  half-cognized, 
vexed  the  crepuscular  and  terror-breeding  reaches  of 
his  mind.  He  met  a  policeman,  who  respectfully  sa- 
luted him.  Brassfield  stopped  as  if  for  a  chat  with 
the  officer. 

"  A  fine  evening,  Mallory,"  said  he. 

"  Fine,  indeed,  sir,"  said  the  officer. 

"  Who  is  the  old  gentleman  whom  you  just 
passed? "  asked  Brassfield.  "  The  one  with  the 
glasses." 

"That?"  asked  the  policeman.  "Why,  didn't 
you  recognize  him  ?  That's  your  friend  the  hypnotist, 
up  at  the  hotel  —  Professor  Blatherwick." 

"  Oh,"  said  Brassfield  as  he  walked  on,  "  I  didn't 
know  him  in  the  dusk.  We'll  have  to  have  better 
street  lighting,  eh,  Mallory  ?  " 

184 


"  No  bad  idea !  "  said  Mallory.  "  Well,  it'll  be  for 
you  to  say,  I'm  thinking." 

"  You  don't  think  there's  anything  in  this  new 
movement,  do  you  ?  "  asked  Brassfield. 

"  Oh,  no,  sir,"  said  the  officer.  "  And  yet,  in  poli- 
tics you  never  know.  But  I  feel  sure  it'll  be  all  right. 
They  can't  do  much  this  evening  and  to-morrow. 
Time's  too  short." 

Brassfield  hurried  on  with  an  air  of  anxiety.  The 
policeman's  words  were  not  reassuring.  He  turned 
down  a  side  street  and  entered  a  restaurant,  the  pro- 
prietor of  which  at  once  placed  himself  and  his  estab- 
lishment at  Mr.  Brassfield's  command. 

"  Give  me  the  Turkish  room,  Tony,"  said  Brass- 
field. 

"  Yes,  sir,  the  Turkish  room :  and  Charles  to  wait?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Brassfield.  "  Cook  me  a  tenderloin ; 
and  don't  let  any  one  come  into  the  room." 

"  Certainly,  Mr.  Brassfield !  The  Turkish  room, 
and  a  steak,  and  no  one  admitted " 

"  Except  such  people  as  Mr.  Alvord  may  bring. 
We  shall  want  some  good  cigars,  and  a  few  bottles  of 
that  blue  seal." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Tony.  "  Will  you  speak  to  this 
gentleman  before  you  go  up,  sir?  " 

185 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Brassfield  turned  and  confronted  an  elderly  man  of 
florid  countenance,  whose  white  mustache  and  frock- 
coat  presented  a  most  respectable  appearance.  Mr. 
Brassfield  bent  on  him  a  piercing  look,  and  strove 
mentally  to  account  for  the  impression  that  he  had 
met  this  man  before,  wondering  again  at  that  hazy 
association  with  the  mystical,  dreamy  region  of  the 
woman  in  yellow  and  black.  It  was  as  if  he  saw 
everything  that  evening  through  some  medium  capa- 
ble of  imparting  this  mystic  coloring.  The  stranger 
faced  him  steadily. 

"  I  presume  you  remember  me,  Mr.  Brassfield," 
said  he.  "  Blodgett  of  Hazelhurst." 

"  Of  course  it's  unpardonable  in  me,"  said  Brass- 
field,  "  but  I  don't  remember  you,  and  I  fear  I've 
never  heard  of  the  place." 

"  Well,"  said  Judge  Blodgett,  "  it's  entirely  imma- 
terial. I  merely  wanted  to  say  that  I've  some  matters 
of  very  great  importance  to  communicate  to  you,  if 
you'll  just  step  up  to  my  rooms  at  the  Bellevale 
House." 

"  I  can  hardly  conceive  of  anything  you  may  have 
to  say,"  said  Brassfield  guardedly,  "  which  can  not 
be  as  well  said  here.  We  are  quite  alone." 

"I  —  the  fact  is,"  said  the  judge,  floundering, 
186 


THE  OFFICE  GOES  IN  QUEST  OF  THE  MAN 

"  what  I  have  to  say  must  be  communicated  in  the 
presence  of  a  person  who  is  there,  a  person " 

"  May  I  ask  whom  ?  " 

"  A  lady  —  Madame  —  Miss  Blatherwick." 

The  cunning  of  mental  limitation  again  served 
Brassfield.  He  recognized  the  name  as  the  one  men- 
tioned by  the  professor  on  the  street.  Why  this  con- 
spiracy to  bring  him  to  this  strange  woman  at  the 
hotel?  Was  it  a  plot?  Was  it  blackmail  or  political 
trickery,  or  what? 

"  I  am  very  much  engaged  to-night,"  said  he. 
"  Whatever  you  have  to  say,  say  here,  and  at  once." 

The  judge  felt  like  seizing  his  man  forcibly,  and 
taking  him  to  Madame  le  Claire  for  restoration.  The 
Brassfield  cunning  was  an  impenetrable  defense. 
Bellevale's  chief  business  man  seemed  to  be  himself 
again,  a  keen,  cool  man  of  affairs,  to  whom  Judge 
Blodgett,  Professor  Blatherwick  and  Clara  were,  ex- 
cept for  the  brief  and  troubled  intervals  during  which 
the  Amidon  personality  had  been  brought  uppermost, 
strangers, —  until  she  could  once  more  bring  him  with- 
in the  magic  ring  of  her  occult  power.  Brought 
within  it  he  must  be,  but  how?  The  judge  felt 
beaten  and  baffled.  Yet  he  would  try  one  more  de- 
vice. 

187 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  The  matter  can  hardly  be  discussed  here,"  said 
he,  "  but  I  may  say  that  it  relates  to  the  evidence 
you  lack  in  the  Bunn's  Ferry  well  cases.  I  happen 
to  know  of  your  desire  for  proof  of  certain  facts  in 
the  spring  of  1896,  and " 

Mr.  Brassfield  started  and  changed  color. 

"  You  know  —  this  woman  knows,"  he  said,  "  some- 
thing to  my  advantage  in  the  matter  ?  " 

Judge  Blodgett  nodded.  Brassfield  looked  at  his 
watch,  paced  back  and  forth,  and  made  as  if  to  fol- 
low Blodgett  to  the  door.  Blodgett's  heart  beat  sti- 
flingly. 

"  You  are  coming?  "  said  he. 

Something  in  the  tone  betrayed  his  anxiety.  Again 
suspicion  rose  to  dominance  in  the  mind  of  Brassfield : 
and  entering  at  the  door  came  Jim  Alvord,  and  one 
or  two  hulking,  mustachioed  citizens  of  the  ward- 
heeler  type.  He  turned  on  the  judge. 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  go  now. 
But  I  am  much  interested  in  what  you  say,  and  to- 
morrow    No,  not  to-morrow,  for  I  shall  be  very 

busy ;  but  the  day  after  we  will  take  it  up  with  you, 
if  quite  convenient  to  you.  In  the  meantime,  if  you 
will  be  so  kind  as  to  call  on  my  lawyer,  Mr.  Edg- 
ington,  I  shall  be  very  glad.  He  is  authorized  to 

188 


THE  OFFICE  GOES  IN  QUEST  OF  THE  MAN 

make  terms  —  anything  reasonable,  you  know.  Good 
night,  Mr.  Blodgett.  I  hope  we  shall  meet  again !  " 

"  Your  old  friend  Blodgett  seems  agitated  to- 
night," said  Alvord,  as  they  sat  alone  in  the  Turkish 
room.  "  He's  got  to  be  quite  a  fellow  here  on  the 
strength  of  your  friendship.  Wish  he  was  a  voter. 
We  could  use  him.  Maybe  he  can  help  in  a  quiet 
way.  Anything  wrong  with  him?  Seemed  worked 
up." 

Smilingly,  as  if  Alvord's  remarks  had  been  as  plain 
to  him  as  they  were  charged  with  mystery,  Brass- 
field  replied  that  so  far  as  he  knew  Blodgett  was  all 
right,  and  that  he  might  be  of  use  further  along  in 
the  campaign. 

"  And  now,"  said  he,  "  tell  me  what  on  earth  has 
sent  Edgington  off  on  this  tangent.  He's  the  man 
who  first  suggested  to  me  that  I  ought  to  run.  It 
was  his  scheme.  He's  my  lawyer  and  my  friend. 
What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  saw  Edge,  and  he's  got  a  list  of  reasons 
longer'n  an  anaconda's  dream.  He  says  that  since 
your  return  from  your  New  York  trip  you've  seemed 
different.  I  don't  mind  saying  that  there's  others 
say  the  same  thing." 

"Different?"  said  Brassfield,  in  an  anxiety  ren- 
189 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

dered  painful  by  the  missing  time  and  these  strangers 
whom  he  was  accused  of  knowing,  but  who  behaved 
as  strangers  to  him.  "  How  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Alvord,  "  kind  of  not  the  same  in 
manner  —  offish  with  the  gang,  an'  sort  of  addicted 
to  the  professor  and  the  hypnotist  —  no  kick  from 
me,  old  chap,  you  understand,  but  I'm  filing  a  kind 
of  bill  of  exceptions,  an'  these  things  go  in." 

"  I  see,"  said  Brassfield.     "  Go  on!  " 

"  Then  you'll  have  to  own  you've  done  some  funny 
stunts,"  continued  Alvord.  "  You've  fired  old  Ste- 
vens, and  you've  been  going  over  your  books  with 
this  man  Blodgett,  and  talking  of  selling  him  an  in- 
terest   " 

"  Talking  of  what  ?  "  exclaimed  Brassfield. 

"  Oh,  it's  your  own  business,  you  know,  but  a  sort 
of  shock  to  the  feelings  and  finances  of  the  com- 
munity all  the  same.  Not  that  it  affects  me,  or  that 
many  know  of  it,  but  the  inner  circle  is  disturbed  — 
and,  mind,  I'm  leading  up  to  Edgington's  flop." 

"  I  see,"  said  Brassfield.     "  Go  on !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Alvord,  "  the  mystery  comes  in  right 
here.  He  says  he  went  up  to  see  you  and  you  flew 
up  and  took  a  high  moral  attitude  and  said  it  was  a 
dirty  mess,  and  you  wouldn't  touch  it.  He  thought 

190 


THE  OFFICE  GOES  IN  QUEST  OF  THE  MAN 

it  was  some  of  Bess's  isms  that  she  brought  home 
from  college  —  civic  purity,  and  all  that  impractical 
rot  that  these  intellectual  women  get,  and  he  says  he 
began  hunting  for  some  one  to  run  in  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy caused  by  the  declination  of  E.  Brassfield.  He 
was  knocked  numb  when  he  found  out  that  you  were 
out  for  the  place.  You  must  have  said  something  to 
him,  you  know.  Now  what  in  the  name  of  Dodd 
was  it  ?  " 

Brassfield  walked  up  and  down  the  room  for  a  few 
moments,  wringing  his  hands  and  alternately  hard- 
ening and  relaxing  the  muscles  of  his  arms  as  if  en- 
gaged in  some  physical  culture  exercise,  but  saying 
never  a  word.  This  blank  Cimmeria  of  his  past,  into 
which  he  had  stared  vainly  for  five  years,  seemed 
about  to  deliver  up  its  secret,  or  a  part  of  it.  Al- 
ready, it  was  clear,  it  had  disgorged  this  man  Blod- 
gett,  and  these  other  questionable  characters  at  the  inn. 
But  they  would  find  him  ready  for  them.  This  man 
that  was  looking  over  his  books  would  discover  that 
what  Eugene  Brassfield  wanted  he  took,  and  what  he 
took  he  held.  They  were  after  his  money,  no  doubt. 
Well,  he  would  see.  And  in  the  meantime,  Edging- 
ton's  defection  should  not  be  allowed  to  disarrange 
matters.  The  business  interests  involved  were  too 

191 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

great.  When  he  turned  to  answer  Alvord,  he  was 
pale  as  death,  but  calm  as  ever. 

"  Oh,  Edgington  misconstrued  entirely  what  I 
said,"  he  answered.  "I  can't  just  repeat  it  —  we 
had  some  talk  along  the  lines  he  mentioned,  but  I 
never  said  anything  that  he  ought  to  have  under- 
stood in  that  way.  Is  he  on  the  square,  do  you 
think?" 

"  On  the  dead  square,"  said  Alvord.  "  I'll  stake 
my  life  on  that." 

"  Well,  what  has  he  done?  " 

"  He's  got  McCorkle  out  for  the  nomination." 

"To  stay?"  asked  Brassfield.  "Can't  we  give 
Mac  something  else,  later?  " 

"  No,  Edgington  says  not :  you  see,  the  colonel 
has  wanted  to  be  mayor  a  long  time.  Edgington 
can't  pull  him  off,  and  as  long  as  he  sticks,  Edge's 
got  to  stick  by  him.  Edgington's  for  you  as  hard 
as  ever  after  the  caucuses  —  if  you  win." 

"  Yes,"  said  Brassfield,  "  most  everybody  -will  be. 
You've  run  your  eye  over  the  line-up :  can  we  win  ?  " 

66  It  depends,"  said  Alvord,  "  on  the  two  men  down 
in  the  restaurant  —  Sheehan  and  Zalinsky.  You 
know  their  following,  and  what  they  want.  Our 
crowd  stands  in  with  the  better  element.  McCorkle 

192 


THE  OFFICE  GOES'lN  QUEST  OF  THE  MAN 

can't  hold  more  than  half  his  own  church,  and  we're 
as  strong  as  horseradish  with  the  other  gospel  plants. 
The  A.  O.  C.  M.  gang  Edgington  won't  try  to  split, 
but  will  leave  to  us,  and  through  them  we'll  get  the 
liberal  element  in  line  —  the  saloons,  and  the  seamy 
side  generally,  I  mean,  of  course.  The  labor  vote 
we  need  help  with,  and  I've  brought  in  Sheehan  and 
Zalinsky  to  sort  of  arrange  a  line  of  policy  that'll 
round  'em  up.  With  their  help  we'll  control  the  cau- 
cuses. After  the  caucuses,  it's  plain  sailing." 

Brassfield  made  a  few  figures  on  a  card,  and  hand- 
ed it  to  Alvord,  who  looked  at  it  attentively  and 
nodded  approvingly. 

"  That  ought  to  be  an  elegant  sufficiency,"  said  he. 

"  All  right,"  said  Brassfield,  "  you  handle  that  end 
of  it,  and  I'll  discuss  the  interests  of  labor.  We'll 
show  Colonel  McCorkle  what  a  fight  without  inter- 
ests means  in  this  town.  Are  the  wine  and  cigars 
here?  Then  go  down  and  bring  the  patriots  up, 
Jim." 


193 


XVII 

THE  HONOR  NEARS  ITS  QUARRY 

And  every  man,  and  woman,  too,  was  forged  at  Birmingham, 
And  mounted  all  in  batteries,  each  on  a  separate  cam; 
And  when  one  showed,  in  love  or  war  or  politics  or  fever, 
A  sign  of  maladjustment,  why  you  just  pulled  on  his  lever, 
And  upside  down  and  inside  out  and  front  side  back  he  stood; 
And  the  Inspector  saw  which  one  was  evil,  which  was  good. 

Chorus : 

On  the  other  side! 
On  the  other  side! 

Oh,  you  must  somehow  see  the  other  side! 
If  you'd  repair  or  clean 
This  delicate  old  machine, 
You  must  have  a  way  to  see  the  other  side! 

—  The  Inventor's  Song  in  "  Bedlam." 

Messrs.  Sheehan  and  Zalinsky,  before  being  ush- 
ered into  the  Turkish  room  where  Mr.  Brassfield  sat 
awaiting  them,  were  told  by  Mr.  Alvord  that,  should 
Mr.  Brassfield's  position  on  the  labor  question  be 
found  satisfactory  to  them,  he  would  like  to  have 
their  good  offices  in  the  matter  of  getting  a  fair 
attendance  at  the  caucuses  the  next  evening.  As  this 
is  always  an  expensive  thing  for  the  patriot  who 
engages  to  do  it,  he,  Mr.  Alvord,  would  beg  to  place 

194 


THE  HONOR  NEARS  ITS  QUARRY 

at  their  disposal  funds  in  an  amount  named  by  him, 
for  use  in  the  transportation  of  distant  and  enfeebled 
voters  and  for  such  refreshment  as  might  be  thought 
necessary. 

"  Weh-ull,"  said  Sheehan,  "  f'r  th'  carkuses  only 
it  may  do.  What  say,  Zalinsky?" 

Mr.  Zalinsky,  his  eyes  gleaming  with  gratification, 
thought  the  sum  named  might  possibly  suffice. 

"  Good ! "  said  Alvord.  "And  now  come  up  and 
see  the  next  mayor." 

"What's  de  use?"  asked  Zalinsky.  "Don't  we 
know  him  all  right?  Ain't  it  all  fixed?  I  want  to 
git  busy  wit  me  end  of  deliverin'  de  goods." 

"  Mr.  Brassfield's  views  on  labor "  began  Al- 
vord, but  Sheehan  interrupted  him. 

"  Your  word  goes  wid  us !  "  said  he.  "  Ye've  con- 
vinced us  Brassfield's  the  laborin'  man's  frind.  What 
say,  Zalinsky  ?  " 

"So!"  said  Zalinsky.  "  Ve  better  git  to  work 
over  in  de  fourt*  ward." 

"  They  didn't  come  up,"  said  Alvord,  returning 
to  the  Turkish  room.  "  The  figures  on  that  card 
seemed  to  convince  'em.  Now  for  the  saloons  and 
their  end  of  the  vote." 

"  What  do  they  want?  "  asked  Brassfield. 
195 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  Why,"  said  Alvord,  "  it's  the  policy  of  the  office 
more'n  anything  else  they  want  assurances  on.  I've 
sent  for  Fatty  Pierson  and  his  fellow  members  of 
the  retail  liquor  dealers'  association,  and  they'll  be 
here  by  the  time  we  dispose  of  this  steak.  I  must  be 
counted  in  on  the  dinner  —  I  forgot  mine." 

While  Alvord,  greatly  rejoiced  at  the  sudden  res- 
toration of  his  friend  to  the  possession  of  those  quali- 
ties which  made  him  so  useful  and  reliable  in  all 
business  projects,  and  promised  so  well  for  the  future 
of  Bellevale  under  his  wise,  conservative  and  liberal 
administration  as  mayor,  was  cozily  discussing  the 
dinner  in  the  Turkish  room  at  Tony's,  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  Mr.  Fatty  Pierson  and  his  committee,  there 
was  a  council  of  the  hypnotic  board  of  strategy  at 
the  Bellevale  House.  The  board  consisted  of  Judge 
Blodgett,  Professor  Blatherick,  and  Madame  le 
Claire.  The  matter  under  consideration  was  how  to 
return  Brassfield  to  his  much-to-be-desired  nihility: 
how  to  recover  Amidon  from  his  relapse  into  occul- 
tation. 

"  I  can  never  forgive  myself  for  allowing  it ! " 
cried  Madame  le  Claire.  "  And  yet,  how  could  I 
help  it?  His  clerk  came  running  in  with  a  tele- 
gram, or  something  of  the  sort,  and  Mr.  Amidon 

196 


THE  HONOR  NEARS  ITS  QUARRY 

rushed  away  with  him.  What  would  this  man  have 
thought  and  said,  if  I  had  subjected  his  employer  to 
the  treatment  necessary  to  restore  him  —  put  him 
into  the  cataleptic  state,  and  then  into  the  normal, 
by  passes  and  manipulations !  " 

"  Just  now,"  answered  the  judge,  "  when  he  seems 
to  be  doing  the  meteor  act  in  local  politics,  such  an 
occurrence  in  public  might  be  misconstrued  in  non- 
hypnotic  circles,  and  commented  on.  Passes  and 
manipulations  are  not  thoroughly  understood  in  pol- 
itics —  except  in  a  different  sense !  I  guess  you  had 
to  let  him  go.  How  to  get  him  back,  is  the  question. 
He's  certainly  off  the  map  as  Amidon:  turned  me 
down  when  I  tried  to  get  him  up  here,  with  the  air 
of  a  bank  president  dealing  with  a  check-raiser;  and 
yet,  the  way  he  rose  to  the  lure  of  getting  evidence 
in  this  lawsuit  of  his  shows  that  he's  as  sharp  as  ever 
in  business.  What's  likely  to  be  the  result  if  he's 
allowed  to  go  in  this  way,  Professor?  " 

"  Nopody  gan  say,"  said  the  professor.  "  He  may 
go  on  as  Brassfield  for  anodder  fife  years  or  more. 
He  may  vake  up  as  Amidon  to-morrow  morning. 
Propoply  he  vill  geep  on  intefinitely,  aggumulating 
spondulix,  and  smashing  hearts,  unless  ve  gan  pinch 
him  some  vay." 

197 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  Oh,  we  must  get  him  back ! "  said  Madame  le 
Claire.  "  We  must!  " 

"  In  te  interests  off  science,"  said  the  professor, 
"  id  vould  pe  tesiraple  to  allow  him  to  go  on  as 
Brassfield  ant  note  results.  Ve  haf  alreaty  optained 
some  faluaple  data  in  the  fact  of  his  attempt  to  buy 
the  destimony  of  our  frient  the  chutche,  and  his 
gontemptuous  treatment  of  me  as  a  con  man.  He 
didn't  seem  to  remember  us  at  all.  Should  ve  not 
allow  de  gase  to  go  on  a  vile?  Supliminally  gon- 
sidered,  it  vill  be  great  stuff ! " 

"No!"  exclaimed  the  judge.  "It  ain't  safe. 
He'll  be  running  for  mayor,  and  doing  a  lot  of  things 
to  make  him  trouble  when  he  does  come  to.  We've 
got  to  surround  him  somehow ;  and  he's  a  wary  bird." 

"  Anyway,"  said  the  professor,  "  I  should  like  to 
opsairve  the  result  of  a  meeting  with  Clara.  In  his 
short  Brassfield  states  he  saw  her,  ant  her  only.  Vill 
he  remember  her  clearly,  or  how?  How  vill  dis  mind 
of  his  coordinate  te  tisgonnected  views  of  her,  with 
te  rest  of  his  vorld?  It  ought  to  pe  vorked  out." 

"  Well,"  said  the  judge,  "  I  don't  owe  science 
much.  I'm  against  any  experiments.  Can't  some 
one  suggest  something  to  do?  Is  it  feasible  to  kid- 
nap him  ?  " 

198 


THE  HONOR  NEARS  ITS  QUARRY 

"  Let  me  suggest  something,"  said  Madame  le 
Claire  hesitatingly.  "  In  his  Brassfield  state  he 
seemed  to  —  to  like  me  very  much.  In  affairs  con- 
cerning —  that  is,  affairs  relating  to  women  —  he 
seems  less  wary,  to  use  Judge  Blodgett's  word,  than 
he  is  on  other  lines.  Maybe  I  could  —  could  induce 
him  to  come.  It  seems  a  sort  of  —  of  questionable 
thing  to  do;  but " 

"Questionable!"  cried  the  judge,  "questionable! 
Why,  not  at  all.  We  must  try  it.  I'll  risk  it!  " 

"  If  ve  are  to  gif  up  te  itea  of  vorking  out  the 
gase,"  acquiesced  the  professor,  "  vy  I  agree  vith 
the  chutche." 

"  That  is,"  said  the  girl,  "  like  the  judge,  you'll 
'  risk  it.'  Very  brave  of  you  both  to  *  risk  '  so  much ! 
As  for  me,  I  must  ask  for  time  to  think  over  my  own 
proposal,  before  I  undertake  to  entrap  this  promi- 
nent business  man  at  my  apartments.  I'm  not  so 
sure  that  I'll  '  risk '  it.  And  yet  it  seems  the  only; 
way ! " 

Speaking  of  traps:  The  emissaries  of  the  retail 
liquor  dealers'  association  were  engaged  in  a  trapping 
enterprise  of  their  own  in  the  Turkish  room  at 
Tony's,  at  this  very  crucial  moment.  Fatty  Pierson, 

199 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

and  two  fellow  retailers,  gentlemen  of  smooth-shaven 
face,  ample  girth,  and  that  peculiar  physiognomy 
which  seems  fitted  to  no  artistic  setting  except  a  back- 
ground of  mirrors  and  glasses,  and  a  plain  fore- 
ground of  polished  wood,  were  arranging  for  a  police 
policy  to  their  liking,  during  the  Brassfield  adminis- 
tration. 

"  Colonel  McCorkle,"  said  Fatty,  "  is  a  mighty 
good  man,  and,  while  a  church  member,  seems  to  be 
liberal.  On  the  other  hand,  you're  well  known  to  be 
broad  in  your  views,  and  you  do  things  " — here  Fat- 
ty's arm  took  in  the  bottles  and  the  cigars  with  a 
sweeping  gesture  — "  that  he  don't.  You've  got 
property  rented  for  saloon  purposes.  We  know 
you're  a  good  man,  Mr.  Brassfield,  but  in  such  mat- 
ters we  saloon  men  have  learned  to  be  careful.  A 
police  force  can  make  our  business  profitable  or  put 
us  all  dead  losers,  just  as  they're  steered  by  the  may- 
or. Now,  what  would  be  your  policy  ?  " 

"  I  should  expect,"  said  Mr.  Brassfield,  "  to  give 
the  city  a  good,  conservative,  business  administra- 
tion, and  to  make  my  oath  of  office  my  guide." 

"  Good !  "  said  Fatty.  "  But  we've  all  heard  that 
before.  Colonel  McCorkle,  or  the  Reverend  Absalom 
McCosh,  would  say  that." 

200 


THE  HONOR  NEARS  ITS  QUARRY 

"  Well,"  said  Brassfield,  "  now,  definitely,  what  do 
you  want?  Anything  reasonable  and  not  contrary 
to  law,  you  have  only  to  ask  for." 

I  wonder  if  burglars,  in  arranging  their  business, 
stipulate  that  nothing  "  contrary  to  law "  is  to  be 
done! 

"  Exactly,"  replied  Fatty.  "  But  now  as  to  reason- 
ableness :  when  the  hour  for  closing  comes,  our  custo- 
mers bein'  gathered  for  social  purposes,  it  seems  ab- 
rupt to  fire  'em  all  out  when  the  clock  strikes.  Now, 
when  a  policeman  comes  along  after  hours  an'  finds 
one  of  us  with  a  roomful  of  customers  discussin'  pub- 
lic questions,  we  don't  want  to  turn  up  in  court  next 
morning.  See  ?  " 

"  I  see,"  said  Brassfield.  "  My  view  of  the  func- 
tion of  the  saloon  is  that  it  is  a  sort  of  club  for  those 
too  poor  to  belong  to  the  more  exclusive  organiza- 
tions. As  long  as  they  are  performing  these  func- 
tions in  an  orderly  way,  why  inquire  as  to  the  hour  ?  " 

"  That  seems  reasonable,"  said  Fatty.  "  And 
about  how  long  ought  a  man  to  have  to  slow  up  an* 
stop  perf ormin'  functions,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Brassfield,  "  there  isn't  much 
doing  in  the  way  of  business,  say  from  two  to  five 
A.  M.,  is  there?" 

201 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Pierson,  "  not  much.  But  on  spe- 
cial occasions ?  " 

"  I  shall  do  the  right  thing,"  said  Brassfield. 

"  An*  you  wouldn't  feel  obliged,"  queried  Pierson, 
"  to  start  any  detectives  out  spyin'  upon  the  uses  we 
put  our  second  stories  to,  or  the  kind  of  tenants  we 
have?" 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Brassfield.  "  I  shan't  disturb 
things.  Alvord  can  tell  you  that.  What  I  want  is 
the  policy  that  is  best  for  the  property  owners ;  and 
things  as  they  are  are  good  enough  for  me.  Is  that 
satisfactory  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  should  smile !  "  said  Mr.  Pierson.  "  And 
now,  gentlemen,  before  we  go  an'  begin  work  for  the 
caucuses  to-morrow,  in  the  interests  of  our  friend 
here,  I  propose  a  toast  to  Mr.  Eugene  Brassfield,  who 
will  be  the  best  mayor  Bellevale  ever  had ! " 

"  You've  got  to  give  me  a  bed  to-night,"  said 
Brassfield,  as  the  last  of  the  delegations  Alvord  had 
brought  to  the  Turkish  room  retired  in  apparent 
satisfaction.  "  I  don't  care  to  go  to  my  rooms  — 
there  are  too  many  folks  up  there  at  the  hotel  who 
seem  anxious  to  see  me.  And  I  want  to  be  where  I 
can  talk  the  situation  over  with  you." 

"  Glad  to  have  you,"  said  Alvord.  "  Come  on,  and 
202 


THE  HONOR  NEARS  ITS  QUARRY 

we'll  turn  in.  As  for  the  situation,  how  can  you 
improve  it?  If  Conlon  and  Sheehan  and  Zalinsky 
can't  control  these  caucuses,  I'm  mistaken.  Put  them 
along  with  the  saloons  and  the  others  that  depend 
on  police  permission  for  existence,  and  you've  got  a 
dead  open-and-shut." 

As  they  walked  along  the  street  they  noticed  a 
motley  crowd  emerging  from  a  public  house  and 
moving  in  a  body  to  another,  seemingly  under  the 
leadership  of  a  little  man  with  Jewish  features,  Al- 
vord  took  Brassfield's  arm  and  hurried  him  on. 

"  You  see  what  Edgington's  up  to?  "  asked  Brass- 
field.  "  He's  got  Abe  Meyer  out  taking  the  crowd 
down  the  line  in  McCorkle's  interest.  I  wonder  if 
they  won't  turn  things  over  somewhat." 

"Turn  nothing!"  said  Alvord.  "They'll  make 
the  noise  to-night;  we'll  have  the  votes  to-morrow 
night.  The  boys  '11  rake  in  McCorkle's  money  now, 
and  in  the  morning  the  word  will  be  passed  that  the 
best  interests  of  the  town  require  every  one  to  boost 
for  you.  They  won't  know  what  hit  'em ! " 

"  I  hope  you're  right,"  answered  Brassfield,  "  but 
Edgington's  no  fool.  I  wouldn't  have  him  for  my 
lawyer  if  he  was." 

"  Of  course  he's  no  fool,"  was  Alvord's  reply, 
203 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  but  he's  handicapped  by  the  personality  of  his  man. 
Edge's  doing  pretty  well,  considering.  He  probably 
is  wise  to  the  situation.  He  didn't  expect  anything 
like  a  contest,  you  know,  owing  to  that  confounded 
blunder  one  of  you  two  made.  Now  he's  doing  the 
best  he  can;  but  his  man's  been  too  strong  in  the 
God-and-morality  way  in  years  gone  by  to  wipe  out 
the  stain  by  one  evening  of  free  booze.  On  the  other 
hand,  your  life  has  been  perfect  —  always  careful  and 
sound  in  business,  no  isms  or  reform  sentiments  on 
any  line,  a  free  spender,  a  paying  attendant  of  the 
richest  church,  but  not  a  member,  and  no  wife  full 
of  wild  ideas  for  the  uplifting  of  folks  that  don't 
want  to  be  uplifted.  Why,  Mrs.  McCorkle's  ad- 
vanced ideas  alone  are  enough  to  make  him  lose  out." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Brassfield.  "  Mc- 
Corkle  and  his  wife  are  not  the  same  in  these  affairs." 

"  Well,  don't  you  fall  down  and  forget  it,"  said 
Alvord,  "  that  the  fellows  on  the  seamy  side  won't 
see  it  your  way.  They've  got  good  imaginations, 
and  they  can  see  the  colonel  on  one  side  of  the  table 
and  his  wife,  the  president  of  the  Social  Purity 
League,  pouring  tea  on  the  other,  and  they  can  see 
the  position  it  would  put  the  mayor  in  to  do  the  right 
thing  along  liberal  lines  —  and  he  sort  of  strict  in 

204 


THE  HONOR  NEARS  ITS  QUARRY 

habits  himself.  No,  sir,  my  boy,  you  go  to  bed  and 
sleep  sweetly.  You  are  about  to  reap  the  reward  of 
living  the  right  kind  of  a  life." 

And  sweetly  Mr.  Brassfield  slept,  with  none  of  the 
anxiety  felt  by  Judge  Blodgett  as  to  whether  he 
would  awake  as  Brassfield  or  Amidon. 


205 


XVIII 

A  GLORIOUS  VICTORY 

Narcissus  saw  his  image,  and  fell  in  love  with  it, 
But  jilted  pretty  Echo,  who  wailed  and  never  quit. 
This  beauteous  youth  was  far  less  kind  than  I, 

my  friend,  or  you: 
For  we  adore  our  own  good  looks  and  love  our  echoes, 

too. 

—  Adventures  in  Egoism. 

I  really  shrink  from  giving  an  account  of  the  re- 
sult of  the  Bellevale  caucuses  next  evening,  for  fear 
of  imparting  to  the  general  reader  —  who  is,  of 
course,  a  violent  patriot  —  the  idea  that  I  am  nar- 
rating facts  showing  an  exceptionally  bad  condition 
in  municipal  affairs,  in  the  triumph  of  one  or  the 
other  of  two  bad  men.  This  impression  I  should  be 
loath  to  give.  Colonel  McCorkle,  whom  we  know  by 
hearsay  only,  seems  to  be  so  good  a  citizen  that  his 
belated  attempt  to  be  "  broad  "  and  "  liberal  "  excites 
laughter  in  some  quarters.  As  for  Mr.  Brassfield, 
there  are  at  least  nine  chances  in  ten  that  he  is  the 
man  who  would  have  received  the  support  of  the 
gentle  reader  had  it  been  his  own  city's  campaign. 

206 


A  GLORIOUS  VICTORY 

In  fact,  Mr.  Brassfield  is  psychologically  incapable  of 
deviating  much  from  the  course  marked  out  by  the 
average  ethics  of  his  surroundings.  This  subcon- 
scious mind  which  —  as  Professor  Blatherwick  so 
clearly  explained  to  us  —  normally  operates  below 
the  plane  of  consciousness,  happens,  in  his  case,  to  be 
abnormally  acting  consciously;  but  it  is  still  con- 
trolled by  suggestion.  The  money-making  mania  be- 
ing in  all  minds,  he  becomes  a  money-maker.  The 
usual  attitude  of  society  toward  all  things  —  includ- 
ing, let  us  say,  women,  poetry,  politics  and  public 
duty  —  is  the  one  into  which  the  Brassfield  mind  in- 
evitably fell.  The  men  on  whom  any  age  bestows 
the  accolade  of  greatness,  are  those  who  embody  the 
qualities  —  virtues  and  vices  —  of  that  age.  Your 
popular  statesman  and  hero  is  merely  the  incarnate 
Now.  Every  president  is  to  his  supporters  "  fit  to 
rank  with  Washington  and  Lincoln."  Future  ages 
may  accord  to  him  only  respectable  mediocrity;  but 
the  generation  which  sees  itself  reflected  in  him,  sees 
beauty  and  greatness  in  the  reflection.  Bellevale 
was  psychically  reflected  in  Brassfield.  Therefore 
Bellevale  raised  him  on  the  shield  of  popularity. 
One  may  see  this  reflected  in  the  conversation  of  Ma- 
jor Pumphrey,  one  of  Bellevale's  solid  citizens,  with 

207 


Mr.  Smith,  who  owned  the  department  store,  on  the 
morning  after  the  caucuses. 

"  Rather  lively  times,  I  hear,"  said  Major  Pum- 
phrey,  catching  step  with  Mr.  Smith  on  their  walk 
down  town.  "  Rather  lively  times  at  the  caucuses 
last  evening." 

"  Really,"  answered  Mr.  Smith,  "  I  don't  know. 
I  never  attend  caucuses.  Every  one  has  his  friends, 
you  know,  and  by  not  taking  sides  one  saves  many 
enmities." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you,"  said  the  major.  "  Every 
one  should  attend  his  party  primaries,  as  a  matter 
of  duty." 

"You  were  out  last  night?"  said  the  merchant 
interrogatively. 

"  Why,  no,"  said  the  major,  "  not  last  night.  The 
fact  is,  Colonel  McCorkle  and  I  served  in  the  same 
regiment,  and  belong  to  the  post  here,  and  he  ex- 
pected me  to  support  him.  At  the  same  time,  the 
nomination  of  Mr.  Brassfield  appeared  to  be  the  only 
right  thing  from  the  standpoint  of  party  expediency 
or  business  wisdom.  Brassfield  can  be  elected.  He 
is  strong  in  business  circles.  His  integrity  is  un- 
questioned, and  there'll  be  no  graft  or  shady  deals 
under  him.  He  stands  well  in  society,  too.  I  just 

208 


A  GLORIOUS  VICTORY 

saw  Doctor  Bulkon,  who  expressed  himself  as  thor- 
oughly delighted  with  the  nomination  of  so  good  a 
man  as  Brassfield,  and  intends  to  preach  next  Sunday 
on  '  The  Christian's  Vote,'  handling  the  subject  in 
such  a  way  as  to  point  to  Brassfield  as  the  right  man. 
I  couldn't  consistently  oppose  Brassfield,  and  so  I 
stayed  at  home." 

"  Oh,  you're  quite  right ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Smith. 
"  My  attendance  would  not  have  made  any  difference 
in  the  result.  Colonel  McCorkle  is  a  good  man,  but 
after  Mr.  Brassfield  made  us  a  present  of  the  money 
to  pay  off  our  church  debt  recently  none  of  us  could 
decently  have  gone  out  and  worked  against  him  even 
for  the  colonel.  They  say  that  McCorkle  is  a  good 
deal  chagrined  by  the  small  showing  he  made  — 
claims  that  the  saloons  and  the  lower  classes  ran  the 
caucuses,  and  that  the  decent  element  stayed  away  al- 
together." 

"  Pooh !  "  scoffed  Mr.  Pumphrey.  "  A  little  sore 
is  all  —  soon  get  over  it.  I  only  hope  Brassfield  will 
be  able  to  get  us  that  trolley  line  he  promises.  That 
would  bring  Bellevale  abreast  of  the  times." 

"  That's  certainly  true,"  was  Mr.  Smith's  answer. 
"  Mr.  Brassfield  is  an  enterprising  citizen,  broad  and 
liberal,  safe  and  sane,  and  fully  in  touch  with  the 

209 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

great  business  interests  of  the  country.  His  nomina- 
tion will  reflect  credit  on  Belle  vale." 

Inasmuch  as  such  citizens  as  Conlon,  Pierson,  Shee- 
han  and  Zalinsky  were  equally  well  contented,  no  one, 
it  would  seem,  ought  to  have  been  dissatisfied.  The 
fact  that  Mr.  Brassfield's  success  meant  the  giving 
away  of  Bellevale's  streets  to  Brassfield's  interurban 
trolley  line  must  be  considered  in  connection  with  the 
fact  that  Bellevale  seemed  only  too  anxious  to  give 
them  away. 

One  must  look  at  such  things  from  all  sides,  if  one 
is  to  come  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  Miss  Wal- 
dron,  having  a  keenly  personal  interest  in  the  matter, 
and  being  a  member  of  the  cultured  and  leisure  class, 
endeavored  to  do  this.  Her  conclusions,  both  per- 
sonal and  political,  seem  to  be  fully  set  forth  in  a 
letter  which  she  wrote  to  her  friend  Estelle  in  New 
York. 

"  You  know  I  always  was  a  queer  little  beast,"  said 
this  letter,  after  a  few  pages  in  which  such  words  as 
"  chiffon,"  "  corsage,"  "  lingerie,"  "  full  ritual,"  and 
similar  expressions  occur  with  some  frequency,  but 
the  contents  of  which  are  quite  obscure  in  their  bear- 
ing on  the  course  of  this  history  — "  and  was  ever 
finding  happiness  where  others  saw  misery,  and  vice 

210 


A  GLORIOUS  VICTORY 

versa.  Well,  I  am  doing  something  of  the  same  sort 
now  in  turning  over  and  over  in  my  mind  the  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  I  should  ever  marry  any  one  or 
not.  I  know  perfectly  well  that  no  one  can  ever  be 
the  One  for  me  if  Eugene  is  not  —  but  is  there  a 
One?  Don't  say  that  I  am  a  little  —  goose,  but  listen 
and  ponder. 

"  You  remember  the  sort  of  literary  friendship  I 

had  with  George  L ?  Well,  of  course  George 

was  a  veritable  Miss  Nancy,  and  perfectly  absurd,  but 
there  was  something  basically  likeable  about  him. 
Now,  I  always  have  thought  that  if  one  could  grind 
George  and  Eugene  to  a  pulp  and  mix  them,  the 
compromise  would  be  my  ideal.  I  like  men  who  do 
things,  and  Eugene  is  the  most  forceful  man  I  ever 
knew.  Owing  to  your  absence  when  he  was  in  New 
York  you  missed  seeing  him,  but  his  pictures  must 
have  shown  you  how  handsome  and  strong  and  mas- 
terly he  is.  Well,  this  phase  of  a  man  must  please 
any  girl. 

"  Is  it  possible  for  such  qualities  to  subsist  in  the 
same  personality  with  those  I  loved  (there's  no  use 
denying  it  —  in  a  platonic  sense)  in  George?  In 
other  words,  can  one  reasonably  expect  to  find  a 
man  who  can  win  battles  in  the  world's  life  of  this 

211 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

twentieth  century,  who  will  not  stare  at  one  in  utter 
lack  of  comprehension  when  he  finds  one  dropping 
tears  on  the  pages  of  Charmides,  or  Me  Andrew's 
Prayer,  or  Omar,  and  perhaps  try  to  comfort  one  — 
at  the  moment  when  the  divine  despair  wrought  by 
poignant  beauty  fills  one  with  divine  happiness?  It's 
horribly  clumsy  as  I  put  it;  but  you'll  know. 

"  He's  just  as  good  and  kind  and  considerate  as  a 
man  can  be,  and  as  little  spoiled  by  the  fierce  battles 
which  he  has  fought  —  and  won!  —  as  could  possibly 
be  expected  —  in  fact,  not  at  all  spoiled.  Even  this 
suspicion  of  a  lack  of  the  gift  of  seeing  that  the 
violet  'neath  a  mossy  stone  is  a  good  deal  more  than 
that  —  the  chief  good  quality  George  had  —  around 
which  I  have  been  writing  in  these  pages,  seems  to 
be  more  a  suspicion  than  a  reality;  for  recently  he 
has  once  or  twice  ventured  on  discussions  of  such 
matters  with  a  confidence  and  an  insight  which  put 
me  —  me,  who  have  plumed  myself  on  my  mental 
St.  Simeon's  tower,  like  a  detestable  intellectual  cock- 
atoo (you  must  untwist  the  metaphors!) — at  his 
feet  in  the  attitude  of  a  humble  learner.  It  took  some 
of  the  conceit  out  of  me;  and  yet,  with  true  Eliza- 
bethan inconsistency  I  turned  this  new  view  of  his 
character  against  him,  and  because  he  —  well,  it 

212 


A  GLORIOUS  VICTORY 

doesn't  matter  what  —  I  gave  him  a  pre-nuptial  in- 
stalment of  *  cruel  and  inhuman  treatment.' 

"  Then  he  became  timid  and  over-respectful,  and 
not  at  all  like  himself,  and  I  all  the  time  just  longing 
to  make  up  to  him  all  the  arrears  of  kindness  which 
were  due.  It  seemed  as  if  I  had  a  new  lover,  one  who 
needed  encouragement,  one  who  made  a  goddess  of 
me,  in  the  place  of  the  almost  too  bold  gallant  who 
had  been  mine;  and  lo!  when  he  suddenly  comes  on 
me  with  all  his  pristine  assurance  and  seeming  con- 
tempt for  the  weepful  things  I  mentioned  above,  I 
don't  like  it  at  all.  I  feel  as  if  two  men  in  the  same 
mask  are  courting  me,  and  I  without  discernment 
enough  to  tell  one  from  the  other. 

"  Now,  if  I  am  so  shilly-shallying  as  this  before 
marriage,  what  shall  I  be  after?  Can  I  go  on  with 
so  much  of  doubt  in  my  own  mind? 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  only  be  sure  of  the  Eugene  I  think 
I  sometimes  see,  strong  to  do,  tender  to  feel,  and  with 
the  uplift  of  insight 

"  To  show  how  thoroughly  insane  my  state  of  mind 
is,  I  have  only  to  say  to  you  that  by  the  exercise  of 
the  most  tremendous  pressure  on  the  part  of  our  very 
best  men,  Eugene,  much  against  his  will,  has  been  put 
in  nomination  for  mayor.  He  will  purify  the  civic 

213 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

life  of  our  town,  and,  I  am  assured,  will,  if  he  will 
enter  public  life  to  that  extent,  be  sent  to  Washing- 
ton. 

"  I  have  always  thought  that  I'd  like  Washington 
society " 

Here  Elizabeth's  letter  came  to  an  end.  She  read 
it  over  carefully,  tore  it  up,  threw  the  fragments  in 
the  grate,  and  wrote  her  friend  another  and  maybe  a 
wiser  one.  Then  she  wrote  to  Mr.  Brassfield  a  note 
which  Mr.  Amidon  found  in  his  room  when  he  re- 
turned to  being. 

One  can  easily  see  from  that  which  has  gone  before, 
what  happened  to  Colonel  McCorkle.  Edgington 
and  Alvord  and  Brassfield  talked  it  over  in  the  Turk- 
ish room  at  Tony's  after  the  caucuses. 

"  Of  course  you've  made  an  ass  of  yourself,  Edg- 
ington," said  Mr.  Brassfield,  "  but  you've  gone 
through  with  it  consistently,  and  it's  all  right.  I 
could  have  explained  all  that  idiotic  talk  of  mine 
about  not  running  —  but  why  go  over  that  now? 
Fill  your  glasses,  and  let's  forget  it ! " 

"  That's  the  talk !  "  said  Alvord.  "  Forget  it  and 
all  pull  together  in  this  campaign  you've  made  me 
the  manager  of." 

214 

. 


A  GLORIOUS  VICTORY 

"  Well,  as  for  forgetting  it  and  pulling  together," 
said  Edgington,  "  I,  as  the  originator  of  the  Brass- 
field  idea,  am  not  likely  to  hang  back  in  the  harness. 
So,  here's  to  success !  But  — 

"  There's  no  '  but '  in  this,"  said  Alvord.  "  The 
'  buts  '  are  postponed  until  after  election." 

"  There's  nothing  to  the  election,"  said  Edging- 
ton.  "  You  have  things  lined  up 

"  We  have  things  lined  up '  suggested  Al- 
vord. 

"  Yes,  that's  right,"  acquiesced  Edgington.  "  It's 
*  we,'  with  all  my  heart  since  the  decision.  I  was 
saying  that  the  way  you  have  the  different  interests 
working  together  is  perfectly  ideal,  the  wets  and  the 
drys,  the  wide-opens  and  the  closed-lids,  the  saloons 
and  the  dives  and  the  churches  —  all  shouting  for 
Brassfield;  and  each  class  thinks  he's  for  its  policy. 
The  other  man  has  about  as  much  show  —  well,  the 
next  is  on  me.  Would  you  mind  pressing  the  button, 
Jim?" 

The  waiter  came,  bringing  a  penciled  note  to  Mr. 
Brassfield. 

"  One  of  your  constituents,"  it  read,  "  would  like 
a  moment's  conversation  with  you  in  the  lobby." 

Brassfield  drew  the  waiter  aside. 
215 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  Who  is  this,  George  ?  "  asked  he,  tapping  the 
note.  "  A  woman  ?  " 

"  A  young  ladj,  suh,"  was  the  answer.  "  A  mahty 
hahnsome  young  lady,  suh." 

"  Bright  auburn  hair?  "  asked  Brassfield,  "  and 
short?" 

"  Er  —  no,  suh,"  answered  the  waiter,  "  sutn'y  not 
that  kin'  o'  haiah;  an'  tall,  suh." 

"  Make  mine  the  same,"  said  Brassfield,  "  and  ex- 
cuse me  a  moment,  boys.  I'll  be  right  back." 

The  note  had  said  in  the  lobby,  but  the  waiter 
guided  him  to  a  private  room.  Brassfield,  cautious 
as  usual,  by  a  gesture  commanded  the  waiter  to  pre- 
cede him  into  the  room,  and  himself  halted  at  the 
entrance,  looking  about  the  room  for  the  young  wom- 
an. She  sat  near  the  window,  and  rose  to  greet  him 
as  he  entered  —  a  tall  and  graceful  girl  with  won- 
derful eyes  and  variegated  hair. 

"  I  could  not  wait  to  give  you  my  congratulations," 
said  she,  offering  him  her  hand,  "  until  you  came 
home.  We  at  the  hotel  are  wondering  why  we  have 
lost  you.  Let  me  rejoice  with  you  in  your  great 
triumph." 

Brassfield's  eyes  sought  hers.  His  soul  recognized 
this  as  the  queen  of  those  hazy  recollections  which 

216 


A  GLORIOUS  VICTORY 

he  could  scarcely  believe  more  than  dreams,  and  felt 
her  dominance. 

"  Thank  you,  ever  so  much,"  said  he.  "  I  was 
just  coming  up  to  see  you." 

"  How  nice  of  you,"  said  she.  "  And  in  that 
case,  why  not  go  up  with  me  and  join  me  at  my 
supper,  which  will  be  served  in  ten  minutes  ?  " 

"  Why  not,  indeed !  "  said  Brassfield.  "  George, 
tell  Mr.  Alvord  and  Mr.  Edgington  that  I'll  see 
them  in  the  morning !  " 


217 


XIX 

THE    ENTRAPPING    OF    MR.    BRASSFIELD 

OP  Mistah  Wolf  is  a  smaht  ol'  man, 

An'  a  raght  smaht  man  is  he; 
He  take  all  the  meat  fum  the  trap  an'  he  eat 

Not  a  mossel  dat  poisoned  be! 
He  laff  at  the  snaiah,  an'  he  nevah  caiah 
When  de  niggah  wake  fum  his  nap; 

But  he  foller  the  trail  o'  little  Miss  Wolf 

Raght  inter  the  jaws  o'  the  trap! 
But  he  foller  the  scent  o'  little  Miss  Wolf 
Kerslap  in  the  deadfall  trap! 

—  "  Hidin'-Out  "  Songs. 

From  a  room  adjoining  that  in  which  Madame  le 
Claire  had  won  her  seeming  victory  over  Mr.  Brass- 
field's  caution,  emerged  hastily  that  young  woman's 
accomplices  —  her  father  and  Judge  Blodgett  — 
who  had  shamelessly  listened  to  the  whole  conversa- 
tion. With  more  of  haste  than  seemliness  they  sped 
before  Le  Claire  and  her  captive,  and  by  vigorous 
expletives  put  the  patient  Aaron  into  unwonted  mo- 
tion in  the  procuring  of  the  "  little  supper  "  which 
they  had  heard  Clara  promise  to  the  candidate  for 
mayor.  Then,  in  a  chamber  farthest  from  the  door, 

218 


THE  ENTRAPPING  OF  MR.  BRASSFIELD 

and  well  sheltered  by  draperies,  they  sat  them  down 
and  waited  for  their  prey. 

"He's  hooked!"  said  the  judge,  "hooked  well; 
and  I'll  gamble  she  lands  him.  She's  a  brick,  Pro- 
fessor." 

"  So !  "  answered  the  other.  "  Ant  now,  if  she  vill 
only  —  what  you  call :  reel  him,  blay  him  —  until  ve 
can  get  the  data  ve  vant " 

"  To  blazes  with  the  data!"  exclaimed  the  judge. 
"  I'm  for  getting  him  back  into  the  Amidon  state 
and  respectability,  data  or  no  data,  before  some  one 
else  tolls  him  off  into  the  poisonous  swamp  of  popu- 
larity. Why,  I  tell  you,  Professor  —  hark !  There 
they  come !  Lay  low,  now !  " 

The  professor  grasped  his  note-book,  the  judge  the 
arms  of  his  chair,  as  the  door  opened,  and  in  the 
front  room  they  heard  Madame  le  Claire's  voice  join- 
ing in  companionable  chat  with  that  of  Brassfield. 

"  Oh,  how  slow  Aaron  is ! "  she  said.  "  And  I'm 
so  hungry.  Aren't  you?  " 

"  Not  so  much  so  as  I  was,"  said  he.  "  Sweets  take 
away  the  appetite.  I'd  rather  call  the  supper  off, 
and  exclude  Abraham  —  or  whatever  his  name  is : 
much  rather." 

"  Selfish !  "  she  reproved  very  severely.  "  And  I 
219 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

just  in  from  a  two  hours'  walk.  I  haven't  eaten  any 
sweets " 

"Nor  I,"  said  he.  "May  I  have  just  a  little 
taste?" 

"  Mr.  Brassfield !  Don't  make  me  sorry  I  invited 
you  here !  Aaron's  likely  to  come  in  at  any  moment. 
Do  you  know  when  you  were  here  last?  " 

Brassfield's  brow  wrinkled,  as  he  looked  about  him. 

"  Ye-e-es,"  said  he  slowly,  as  if  in  doubt ;  and  then 
in  his  ordinary  manner :  "  Well,  I  should  think  I 
did.  The  day  that  donkey,  Alderson,  came  with  the 
telegram.  My  faith,  and  so  much  has  happened  in 
the  two  or  three  days  since!  But  to  suggest  that  I 
could  forget ! " 

"  Why  not  ?  "  said  she,  slipping  close  to  him  as  he 
sat  in  a  broad-armed  easy  chair.  "  I'll  wager  any- 
thing you  say  you  can't  remember  half  the  times 
you've  been  in  my  presence.  Come  now,  the  first 
time!" 

"  Pshaw ! "  said  he,  "  I'm  not  going  into  ancient 
history,  further  than  to  say  it  was  in  a  room  with 
hangings  like  these,  and  a  roar  of  traffic  in  the  street 
below.  Come,  dear,  let's  not  talk  of  that " 

Her  hand,  straying  near  his  hair,  he  took  in  his, 
and,  crushing  it  to  his  lips,  kissed  it  passionately. 

220 


Those  red  ones,"  said  the  judge,  "  are  the  very 
devil  for  showing  on  black  !  "       Page  242 


THE  ENTRAPPING  OF  MR.  BRASSFIELD 

She  sank  down  on  the  side  of  his  chair,  and  his 
arm  crept  insinuatingly  about  her  waist.  Her  arms 
went  round  his  neck,  and  she  drew  his  head  to  her 
breast,  softly,  tenderly,  and  her  lips  met  his  —  so 
many  times  that  for  years  she  blushed  when  the  mem- 
ory returned  to  her. 

"Darling!"  he  whispered,  "do  you  love  me?" 
"  Love  you  ?  "  said  she.     "  Look  in  my  eyes  and 
see!" 

Slowly,  with  her  left  hand  in  the  curls  on  his 
neck,  she  drew  her  face  from  his,  and,  as  if  fasci- 
nated, his  eyes  sought  hers  in  a  long,  long,  hungry 
look. 

"  You  do !  "  he  began  gaspingly.     "  Yes " 

The  slender  fingers  moved  upward  over  his  head, 
the  commanding  eyes  held  his,  the  other  hand,  as  if 
for  a  caress,  swept  his  eyes  shut,  and  he  lay  back  in 
the  chair,  inert  as  a  corpse.  Madame  le  Claire  un- 
twined his  arms  from  her  waist,  and  knelt  on  the  floor 
before  him,  her  hands  clasped  on  his  knees,  her  head 
pillowed  in  his  senseless  lap. 

Their  unseen  auditors  heard  no  more  conversation, 
and  the  judge  moved  softly  out  to  a  place  where  he 
could  see.  Clara  was  sobbing  as  she  groveled  at  the 
feet  of  the  man  she  had  obliterated,  rescued  and  re- 

221 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

stored,  and  as  she  sobbed  she  pressed  his  hands  to 
her  lips.  Judge  Blodgett  went  back  to  the  window, 
lifted  it  noisily  and  lowered  it  with  a  crash.  Then 
he  walked  into  the  front  room,  and  found  Madame 
le  Claire  sitting  in  a  chair  across  the  room  from  her 
subject,  smilingly  and  triumphantly  regarding  the 
result  of  the  exercise  of  her  mystic  power. 

"Is  he  all  right?"  queried  the  judge,  looking  at 
the  inert  form.  Madame  waved  her  hand  at  their 
prisoner,  in  answer. 

"  Cataleptic,"  said  the  professor,  peering  at  him 
through  his  glasses.  "  Bulse  feeble,  preath  imber- 
ceptible.  Yes,  he  is  reeled  in." 

"  Well,  give  him  the  gaff,"  said  Blodgett.  "  In 
other  words,  fetch  him  to." 

Madame  le  Claire  stretched  vibrant  hands  toward 
the  entranced  man,  and  again  uttered  the  sharp  com- 
mand, "  Awake ! " 

Amidon  smilingly  opened  his  eyes,  and  looked 
about  him. 

"  Where  are  the  letters  ?  "  said  he,  looking  about 
for  those  vexing  communications,  to  find  the  meaning 
of  which  had  been  the  object  of  the  inquiry  from 
which  Alderson  had  drawn  him  with  the  telegram. 
"  Did  you  note  on  them  the  information  we  wanted  ? 

222 


THE  ENTRAPPING  OF  MR.  BRASSFIELD 

Why,  is  it  night?  How  long  have  you  had  me  under 
the  influence?  Is  anything  the  matter,  Clara?  " 

"  Not  now,"  said  Le  Claire. 

"  Now  eferyding  is  recht,"  added  the  professor. 

"  But  you  have  given  us  the  devil's  own  chase," 
said  the  judge. 

"  It  is  nearly  midnight,"  said  Mr.  Amidon. 
"  Have  I  been  out  all  the  afternoon  ?  " 

"  All  the  afternoon !  "  exclaimed  Blodgett.  "  Yes, 
and  all  day,  and  all  yesterday,  and  the  day  before, 
and  other  days!  You've  been  raising  merry  Ned, 
Florian,  in  your  Brassfield  capacity.  Do  you  want 
to  know  what  you've  done?  " 

"  Do  I?  "  he  cried.    "  Tell  me  all  at  once !  " 

"  Well,  for  one  thing,"  said  the  old  lawyer,  "  Edg- 
ington's  long-incubated  scheme  has  hatched,  and 
you've  been  through  a  strenuous  mayoralty  contest 
with  Colonel  McCorkle,  and  have  swept  the  board. 
Your  friends  insisted  on  it,  you  know,  and  you 
couldn't  decline." 

"  Friends ! "  sneered  Amidon.  "  I  tell  you,  the 
whole  thing  is  hypocrisy  and  graft.  That  villain 
Brassfield  has  a  scheme  for  stealing  the  streets.  I 
told  Edgington  I  wouldn't " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  judge,  "  and  he  took  you  at  your 
223 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

word  and  trotted  McCorkle  out,  and  you  trimmed 
them  up.  But  it's  all  made  up  with  him,  now,  and 
you  and  he  and  Alvord  are  as  thick  as  thieves. 
You've  got  a  jewel  of  a  campaign  manager  in  that 
man  Alvord " 

"  Judge,"  cried  Amidon,  "  I  want  you  to  get  up 
a  letter  of  withdrawal  —  you  have  watched  the  mis- 
erable business,  and  know  more  of  it  than  I  do  — 
one  that  will  make  me  as  little  ridiculous  as  possible, 
you  know.  I  don't  care  for  the  people  in  general, 
but  there  are  some  whose  good  opinion  I  prize " 

"  I  know,  Florian,"  said  the  judge.  "  I  know. 
But  you  can't  expect  to  cut  a  very  good  figure,  you 
know." 

"  Well,  manage  it  as  well  as  you  can,  and  —  I 
suppose  you've  watched  me?  "  he  continued.  "  Why 
did  you  let  me  go  this  way !  Have  I  been  up  to  Miss 
Waldron's?" 

"  Once  or  twice  for  a  few  minutes,"  answered  Mad- 
ame le  Claire.  "  You  have  been  very  busy  indeed ; 
and  yesterday  Miss  Waldron  went  out  of  town." 

"  I  think,"  said  Judge  Blodgett,  "  that  you  will 
find  a  letter  from  her  in  your  room.  Alderson  brought 
it  up  from  the  counting-house." 

"  Well,  you  must  excuse  me,"  said  Mr.  Amidon. 
224 


THE   ENTRAPPING   OF   MR.   BRASSFIELD 

"I  want  to  talk  this  all  over  with  you  early  in  the 
morning ;  but  I  must  go  to  my  room  now.  No,  thank 
you,  Clara,  I  really  can  not  stay  to  your  supper. 
To-morrow  you  must  tell  me  how  you  kidnapped  me 
—  I  never  can  repay  you  for  your  faithful  service 
to  me.  Good  night ! ' ' 

The  discerning  reader  has  already  anticipated  that 
Mr.  Amidon  went  straight  to  the  letter  and  opened  it. 

' '  Dearest  Eugene, ' '  it  said,  ' '  I  want  to  give  you 
a  word  to  say  that  I  am  proud  of  the  love  and  con- 
fidence which  every  one  has  for  you,  and  to  say  that 
I  do  not  regard  the  place  to  which  you  are  to  be 
elected  as  unimportant,  or  one  which  you  should  de- 
cline. Of  all  men  you  are  best  able  to  protect  our 
town  against  corruption,  and  to  lift  its  civic  life  to 
a  higher  plane.  I  wish  I  might  help  your  fellow 
townsmen  to  confer  you  upon  it.  Maybe  I  can  help 
in  cheering  you  along  the  way  after  this  is  done. 

"I  have  all  sorts  of  pride  in  and  ambition  for  you. 
Hitherto,  you  have  confined  yourself  too  closely  to 
the  practical  and  productively  utilitarian.  I  shall 
watch  with  all  the  interest  you  can  desire  me  to  feel, 
this  new  career  of  yours,  beginning  so  modestly  and 
so  much  against  your  will ;  but  reaching,  I  feel  sure, 
to  the  state  and  national  capitals. 

' '  Do  you  know,    I  have  always  imagined  myself 
capable  of  founding  Primrose  Leagues,    and  becom- 
ing  a    real    political    force?     Spend    the    afternoon 
with  me  Sunday,  and  we'll  talk  it  over  —  come  early. 
"Yours  in  loving  partizanship, 

"Elizabeth." 
225 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Florian  sat  for  a  long  time  pondering  over  this 
letter.  It  was  the  thing  about  which  his  thought 
centered  the  next  morning.  When  the  judge  said 
that  he  was  at  work  on  the  letter  of  withdrawal, 
Amidon  remarked  that  there  was  no  hurry,  as  he 
should  not  use  the  letter  until  after  a  conference  with 
Miss  Waldron.  Then  he  went  to  spend  his  Sunday 
afternoon  with  his  fiancee,  according  to  her  invi- 
tation. 

The  "  dear  Eugene,"  and  the  tone  of  co-proprie- 
torship in  this  new  "  career  "  of  his  which  seemed  so 
deliciously  intimate  in  her  letter,  faded  from  his 
memory  as  he  faced  her  in  her  home,  so  stately,  so 
kind,  so  far  from  fond.  Her  rebellion  from  those 
mad  kisses  of  his  on  his  first  visit  had  thoroughly 
intimidated  him.  He  felt,  now,  that  he  must  win 
his  way  to  such  blisses  by  slow  degrees,  as  if  the 
Brassfield  life  had  never  been  for  her  more  than  for 
him.  So  they  talked  over  the  cool  and  sensible  things 
they  might  have  discussed  had  she  been  his  grand- 
mother; among  others,  the  campaign. 

She  had  tremendously  good  ideas  as  to  city  govern- 
ment. Amidon  had  long  entertained  similar  notions, 
and  that  their  unity  of  sentiment  might  appear,  each 
wrote  answers  to  a  list  of  questions  which  they  made 

226 


THE  ENTRAPPING  OF  MR.  BRASSFIELD 

up,  and  Amidon  was  hugely  delighted  to  find  that 
they  agreed  precisely. 

"  Why  not  make  it  your  platform  ?  "  she  asked. 

"You  mean,  a  public  manifesto?"  he  queried. 

"  Surely,"  said  she.  "  The  people  ought  to  know 
what  we  represent.  Print  it,  so  all  may  be  well  in- 
formed." 

"  But  that  would  be  an  acceptance  of  the  nomina- 
tion," said  he. 

"  Hardly,"  she  replied.  "  We  have  already  ac- 
cepted, and  that's  settled.  But  it  will  raise  the  con- 
test to  one  of  principle.  The  best  elements  of  society 
are  with  you  —  Doctor  Bulkon  might  as  well  hfive 
mentioned  your  name  as  he  described  the  ideal  can- 
didate to-day  —  and  such  a  noble  declaration  from 
you  will  fill  them  with  joy.  Oh,  don't  you  think  so?  " 

"  Elizabeth,"  said  he,  "  if  I  take  this  office,  it  will 
be  for  your  sake.  I  shall  withdraw,  or  run  on  your 
platform." 

"  Oh,  you  can't  withdraw,"  she  asseverated.  "  Not 
now!" 

The  adoring  glances,  in  which  she  constantly  sur- 
prised him,  mitigated  somewhat  the  pique  which  his 
ceremoniously  respectful  parting  raised  in  her  heart. 
She  stood  looking  at  the  hand  he  had  kissed,  and 

227 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

wondering  if  this  was  the  Eugene  of  days  gone  by, 
but  was  not  quite  able  to  think  him  cold  to  her.  This 
was  true  at  all  events,  she  thought,  the  offensiveness 

—  half -reserve,    half- familiarity  —  the    curious    im- 
pression  of   strangeness   which   so   nearly    caused   a 
breach  between  them  on  his  return  from  New  York 

—  that  was  gone,  at  least.     This  new  attitude  of  his 

—  well,  that  was  to  be  considered.     In  some  respects, 
the  change  had  its  element  of  piquancy  —  like  a  love 
affair  with  an  innocent  boy  where  the  wiles  of  expe- 
rience had  been  expected. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Alvord  was  happy.  He  had 
opened  "  Brassfield  Headquarters,"  over  which  he 
presided  with  a  force  of  clerks  who  were  busy  with 
poll-books  and  other  clerkly-looking  properties. 
"  But,"  said  he  to  Slater,  who  called  to  see  him  about 
funds  for  putting  in  order  the  links  of  the  Bellevale 
Golf  and  Boating  Club  against  the  coming  of  spring, 
"  there's  nothing  to  it.  With  the  preachers  exhort- 
ing for  us  and  the  wet-goods  push  and  sports  plug- 
ging enthusiastically,  and  not  a  drop  of  water  spill- 
ing from  either  shoulder,  the  outlook  couldn't  be 
better.  Of  course,  we  have  to  go  through  the  form 
of  a  contest,  but  there's  no  real  fight  in  it." 

228 


THE  ENTRAPPING  OF  MR.  BRASSFIELD 

"  I  don't  see  how  there  can  be,"  said  Mr.  Slater. 
"  But  what's  aU  this  work  for?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Alvord,  "  we've  got  to  keep  up  the 
organization,  and  so  we  poll  the  town.  It  gives  some 
men  employment  for  a  few  days  that  would  be  sore  if 
they  didn't  get  it.  Then  we  have  to  send  out  the 
piece  de  resistance  for  keg  parties  of  evenings.  The 
way  the  petitions  come  in  for  kegs  is  surprising.  A 
man  calls  and  says  his  name's  Pat  Burke,  or  Karl 
Schmidt,  and  that  they've  organized  a  club  for  the 
study  of  public  questions,  meeting  every  night  at 
Jones'  Coke  Ovens  or  Webber's  Chicken  House,  and 
they  expect  to  have  up  the  mayoralty  question  for 
debate  to-night  —  only  he  generally  calls  it  the  *  mo- 
rality '  question  —  and  could  we  send  them  a  barrel 
of  beer?  We  know  that  there's  only  a  corporal's 
guard,  mostly  aliens,  but  we  send  'em  a  pony.  An- 
other puts  up  a  spiel  that  he's  been  spending  his  own 
money  electioneering  for  Brassfield  —  he  never  had 
over  fifty  cents  in  the  world,  but  he's  spent  forty 
dollars  —  and  he  can't  stand  the  financial  strain  any 
longer.  He's  palpitating  with  love  for  Brassfield. 
He  knows  where  there's  twenty-five  votes  he  can  get, 
if  he  can  have  say  ten  dollars  for  booze  —  he'll  leave 
it  entirely  to  us.  We  know  he's  a  fake,  of  course,  but 

229 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

we  give  him  a  V.  We've  got  to  spend  Brass's  roll 
somehow." 

"  Where's  he  keeping  himself?  "  asked  Slater.  "  I 
haven't  seen  him  since  Saturday.  Isn't  he  out  shak- 
ing hands  ? " 

"  No,"  was  the  answer.  "  He'd  rather  buy  what 
he  wants,  and  not  do  any  canvassing.  It  isn't  nec- 
essary, anyhow.  That  supper  we  arranged  for  be- 
fore he  was  put  up  will  bring  him  into  contact  with 
some  of  the  strongest  lines  of  influence,  and  will  finish 
the  reconciliation  with  Edgington.  Then  Mrs.  Pum- 
phrey's  reception  and  some  other  affairs  will  be  all 
the  publicity  we'll  need.  No  noise  for  ours,  anyhow. 
The  gum-shoe  is  our  emblem,  and  we  don't  let  our 
right  hand  know  what  our  left  wing  is  driving  at. 
'Gene  leaves  it  all  to  me,  and  don't  ever  show  up  here. 
That  girl  business  —  the  strawberry  blonde,  you 
know  —  seems  all  lost  sight  of,  and  there  ain't  a  cloud 
in  the  sky." 

A  clerk  entered  and  informed  Alvord  that  a  man 
named  Amidon  wanted  to  speak  to  him  at  the  tele- 
phone. 

"  Another  debating  society  wants  irrigating,  I 
s'pose,"  said  he.  "  Hello !  This  is  headquarters.  .  . 
Yes,  it's  Alvord  speaking  to  you.  .  .  .  Oh,  is 

230 


THE  ENTRAPPING  OF  MR.  BRASSFIELD 

it  you,  Brass?  They  said  it  was  a  man  named  Ami- 
don.  Wire's  crossed,  I  s'pose.  Worst  telephone  ser- 
vice I  ever  saw.  All  right,  go  ahead." 

Here  followed  a  long  pause  broken  occasionally  by 
"  yes,"  and  "  I  know,"  and  "  no,"  from  Alvord.  At 
last,  in  tones  of  amazement,  he  broke  forth  in  a  storm 
of  protest. 

"  What !  Publish  a  platform?  "  he  shouted.  "  Are 
you  crazy?  No,  I  most  emphatically  don't  think  so. 
Why  —  now  listen  a  moment,  'Gene,  —  I've  got  the 
best  still  hunt  framed  up  you  ever  saw.  We're  win- 
ning in  a  walk.  .  .  .  Well,  if  you  want  to  make 
your  position  clear,  I  know  I  can  trust  you  to  make 
your  manifesto  the  right  thing.  But  mind,  I  advise 
against  it!  .  .  .  Yes,  sure,  as  many  things  as  you 
want  to  talk  about,  old  man.  .  .  .  Yes,  I've 
heard  about  the  idea;  but  never  saw  it  indorsed  by 
any  practical  people.  .  .  .  Yes.  .  .  .  No. 
No!  ...  No!  .  .  .  I  tell  you  NO!  .  .  . 
Why,  you  know  we've  spent  sums  that  we  couldn't 
possibly  publish.  What  have  you  been  drinking, 
'Gene?  Here,  damn  you,  this  is  all  a  josh!  Come 
down  here  and  I'll  buy.  .  .  .  What's  that?  You 
really  want  to  publish  a  schedule  of  your  election 
expenses?  Well,  I'll  keep  the  schedule,  and  you  can 

231 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

print  'em  if  you  want  to.  Come  up  to  headquarters, 
and  I'll  show  'em  to  you.  Good-by !  " 

Alvord  hung  up  the  receiver,  and  went  back  to  his 
inner  office. 

"  By  George,  Slater,"  said  he,  "  Brassfield  is  abso- 
lutely the  most  deceptive  josher  I  ever  saw.  He  had 
me  going  just  now  by  pretending  that  he  was  about 
to  publish  a  platform  of  principles,  and  a  statement 
of  campaign  disbursements.  So  blooming  solemn  it 
gave  me  the  shivers  for  a  minute.  List  of  disburse- 
ments: think  of  it,  Slater!  And  a  platform,  in  our 
kind  of  politics !  " 


232 


THE  STRAWBERRY  BLONDE 

The  year  will  all  be  summer  weather 
When  speech  and  action  go  together; 
When  Aucassin's  sage  words  are  met 
In  all  his  deeds  with  Nicolette; 
And  though  fair  Daphne's  words  be  free, 
Look  not  too  soon  her  swain  to  be: 
The  year  will  all  be  summer  weather, 
When  speech  and  action  go  together. 

—  Song  from  The  Monarch  of  Nil, 

The  reader  of  this  history  may  have  been  conscious, 
from  time  to  time,  of  a  mysterious  glow  —  now  bale- 
ful, now  rather  cheerful,  like  the  light  from  the  tap- 
room of  an  inn  —  which  has  illuminated  the  horizon 
of  the  narrative.  It  appeared  in  certain  allusions 
found  in  Mr.  Alvord's  conversation  with  Mr.  Amidon 
during  the  episode  of  the  Wrong  House,  and  so  terri- 
fied him  as  to  give  him  thoughts  of  flight  from  Belle- 
vale.  It  glared  more  brightly  in  the  chat  at  the 
Club.  It  flamed  concretely  on  our  sight  when  Mr. 
Brassfield  met  its  source  on  the  street  that  day  he 
made  his  fatal  escape.  Mr.  Alvord  slangily  called 
it  "  the  Strawberry  Blonde."  Mr.  Brassfield  very 

233 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

improperly  pinched  its  elbow,  and  called  it  "  Daise." 
It  is  high  time  that  we  put  on  our  smoked  glasses 
and  look  it  in  the  face  in  such  a  formal  introduction 
as  will  enable  us  to  do  it  tardy  justice  —  for  we  may 
have  been  guilty  of  misjudgment! 

Miss  Daisy  Scarlett,  sitting  on  a  piano-stool,  with 
one  foot  curled  up  under  her,  was  entertaining  Doc- 
tor Julia  Brown  and  Miss  Flossie  Smith,  who  had 
called  on  her  at  the  home  of  Major  Pumphrey,  her 
uncle.  Miss  Scarlett  was  well  and  shiveringly  known 
in  Bellevale,  where  she  visited  often,  and  was  gener- 
ally esteemed  for  her  many  good  qualities  of  heart 
and  mind,  and  for  the  infinite  variety  of  her  contri- 
butions to  the  sensations  of  a  not  over-turbulent  so- 
cial swim.  Her  entertainment  in  this  instance  con- 
sisted in  readings  from  a  certain  book  which  must  be 
regarded  as  an  early  literary  imprudence  of  a  most 
estimable  and  industrious,  as  well  as  improving  writer 
—  Poems  of  Passion.  The  particular  selection  ren- 
dered by  Miss  Scarlett  was  the  one  (unknown,  I  pre- 
sume, to  my  readers  —  no,  my  dear,  we  haven't  it) 
which  informs  us  what  the  first  person  singular  femi- 
nine, being  invited  into  Paradise,  would  do  if  the 
third  person  singular  masculine,  down  in  the  regions 
infernal,  should  open  his  beautiful  arms  and  smile. 

234 


THE  STRAWBERRY  BLONDE 

Miss  Scarlett  read  ill  sentiments  very  well,  and  Miss 
Smith  laid  violent  hands  on  herself  and  looked 
shocked. 

"  Oh,  Daisy ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  don't,  please 
don't!" 

"  Oh,  Flossie ! "  said  Miss  Daisy  imitatively, 
"  don't  pretend !  That  poem  is  simply  great !  " 

Doctor  Brown  laughed,  quite  in  the  manner  of  the 
bass  villain  in  the  comic  opera. 

"  The  dissecting  table,"  said  she,  "  brings  all  these 
beautiful  arms  and  brows  to  the  same  dead  level  of 
tissue  —  unpoetical,  but  real." 

Miss  Scarlett  liberated  her  foot,  spun  about,  and 
dashed  into  a  stormy  prelude,  modulating  into  the 
accompaniment  to  the  refrain  of  Sullivan's  Once 
Again,  which  she  sang  with  much  fervor. 

She  was  about  the  height  of  a  well-grown  girl  of 
twelve  or  thirteen,  and  had  appealing  eyes  of  delf 
blue,  and  a  round  face  of  peachy  softness.  Her  hair 
was  undeniably  red,  of  a  shade  which  put  to  shame 
such  verbal  mitigations  as  "  auburn  "  or  "  golden," 
and  was  of  tropic  luxuriance  and1  anarchistic  disposi- 
tion. It  curled  and  uncurled  and  strayed  all  about 
her  brow  and  neck  like  an  explosion  of  spun  lava. 
For  the  rest,  had  she  really  been  a  little  girl  of 

235 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

twelve,  one  would  feel  free  to  describe  her  as  fat  and 
roly-poly;  but  in  the  case  of  a  young  spinster  of 
somewhere  in  her  third  decade,  well-gowned  and 
stayed  and  otherwise  in  physical  subjection  to  the 
modiste,  and  singing  of  love  like  a  diva,  what  can 
one  say?  No  more  than  this,  perhaps,  that  the  for- 
tunate man  who  carries  her  off  the  field  a  prize,  will 
realize  before  he  has  got  very  far  that  he  has  cap- 
tured something. 

"  Love,  once  again,  meet  me  once  again ! 
Old  love  is  waking:  shall  it  wake  in  vain?  " 

Thus  sang  Miss  Scarlett,  ending  with  a  fervid 
trill.  Then  she  turned  about,  sitting  with  her  feet 
very  wide  apart,  and  faced  Doctor  Brown. 

"  Dissecting  table,  indeed !  "  she  burst  forth.  "  I 
tell  you,  it's  blasphemy  to  speak  of  making  such  use 
of  a  nice  man!  But,  if  I  could  pick  'em  out,  so  as 
to  be  sure  the  right  ones  were  dissected,  I  don't  know 
but  I'd  agree." 

Flossie  Smith  said  that  some  of  them  ought  to  be 
put  to  some  use;  and  Doctor  Brown,  having  remind- 
ed the  company  of  her  profession,  merely  laughed 
again. 

"  Here  I  am  down  from  Allentown,"  Miss  Scarlett 
proceeded,  "  on  purpose  to  be  stayed  with  flagons  and 

236 


THE  STRAWBERRY  BLONDE 

comforted  with  apples,  as  I  have  been  here  in  the 
past.  I  wanted  to  have  a  good  sort  of  lackadaisical 
time  with  the  nice  boys  here,  and  I've  had  to  stay  — 
I  don't  know  how  long  —  on  a  famine  diet  of  women 
and  girls,  with  Ella  Wheeler  for  sauce.  It  makes 
me  swearing  mad !  " 

"  I  like  that  now !  "  said  Flossie.  "  I  really  like 
that!" 

"Well,  I  don't,"  Miss  Scarlett  went  on.  "I'm 
not  used  to  it.  To  be  left  alone  —  oh,  of  course  Billy 
Cox  has  been  trying  to  butt  in,  but  what  good  is  he? 
My  Hercules,  my  Roman  Antony,  who  won  my  trust- 
ing heart  last  summer,  at  a  time  when  I  had  just  got 
it  back  from  what  I  had  thought  a  final  and  total 
loss  —  I  find  him  away,  and  when  he  gets  back,  be- 
cause, forsooth,  he  happens  to  be  newly  engaged, 
he's  so  wrapped  up  in  a  little  thing  like  that,  that  he 
might  as  well  have  stayed  in  New  York.  He  doesn't 
respond  when  I  ring  up  his  office  on  the  telephone; 
he  doesn't  see  me  on  the  street  —  or,  at  least,  only 
once  —  he  seems  scared.  I've  a  good  mind  to  give 
him  something  to  be  scared  about ! " 

"  Your  condition,"  said  the  doctor,  "  is  verging 
on  the  pathological." 

"  I  don't  know  what  path  it's  verging  on,"  was  the 
237 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

reply,  "  but  it  isn't  the  primrose  path  of  dalliance. 
There's  some  mystery  in  it." 

"  Go  to  Madame  What's-Her-Name  down  at  the 
hotel,"  said  Flossie.  "  She  has  solved  almost  all  the 
mysteries  we  used  to  have  —  for  a  consideration. 
And  she  is  said  to  have  superior  facilities  for  observ- 
ing this  Great  Brassfield  Mystery  of  yours." 

"  I  must ! "  replied  Miss  Scarlett,  looking  out  of 
the  window.  "  There's  Billy  Cox  just  going  into 
his  house!  What  a  pity  for  a  bachelor  to  have  such 
a  big  house  all  to  himself  —  it  has  filled  me  with 
sighs  for  the  past  week,  that  thought !  Oh,  girls,  I've 
an  idea!  Let's  call  him  over  and  have  him  take  us 
down  to  her!  Central!  Give  me  432,  please.  Is 
that  you,  Billy?  This  is  Daisy.  Don't  you  want  to 
do  something  for  me  ? —  Oh,  you  behave,  now !  We 
want  you  to  take  us  somewhere  down  town,  so  don't 
take  off  your  coat.  We'll  explain  when  you  come 
over.  Good-by ! " 

"Well,  of  all  things!"  exclaimed  Flossie.  "/ 
don't  care  about  Mr.  Cox,  nor  his  big  house!  And 
the  doctor  and  I  have  just  started " 

"  Oh,  we  can't  go,"  said  the  doctor,  "  but  that 
won't  break  Daisy's  heart;  she  didn't  expect  we 
would,  did  you  ?  " 

238 


THE  STRAWBERRY  BLONDE 

"  Well,  I  shall  be  sorry  not  to  have  you  go,  of 
course,"  said  Miss  Scarlett.  "  But  if  you  must  go, 
how  would  it  do  for  you  to  slip  away  before  Billy 
comes  in,  so  as  to  leave  him  to  me?  I  may  be  able  to 
make  something  of  Billy,  if  I'm  allowed  to  have  my 
way  with  him.  Must  you  go?  So  glad  you  called. 
Of  course,  we  shall  meet  at  our  reception?  Good-by !  " 

Madame  le  Claire  looked  amusedly  down  on  Miss 
Scarlett.  The  bright-haired  one  was  questioning  her 
concerning  her  mystic  art. 

Could  she  see  into  the  future? 

Sometimes,  when  the  conditions  were  right. 

Could  she  read  thoughts? 

Let  the  lady  judge,  on  the  statement  that  two 
men,  one  with  brown  and  the  other  with  gray  eyes, 
had  been  much  in  the  lady's  thoughts  lately. 

Marvelous !  And  could  she  tell  what  her  thoughts 
in  that  connection  had  been  ?  Well,  never  mind  about 
that!  Did  she  know  about  palmistry?  And  could 
she  really  put  people  under  her  influence  so  that  they 
must  do  as  she  willed  ?  How  nice  that  must  be !  And 
would  she  and  the  professor  come  up  to  the  Pum- 
phreys'  reception  and  arrange  to  give  a  program  of 
occult  feats  for  the  entertainment  of  the  guests? 

239 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Surely ;  they  should  be  very  glad ;  that  was  a  part 
of  their  profession. 

During  these  negotiations  Mr.  Cox  waited  outside, 
and  Florian  Amidon,  meeting  him  in  the  lobby  and 
being  accosted  as  'Gene,  stopped  for  a  talk,  fearing 
to  slight  some  dear  but  unknown  friend.  The  word 
"  'Gene  "  was  becoming  a  sort  of  round  shot  across 
the  bows  in  his  Bellevale  cruises.  The  parley  (con- 
cerning wells  and  tanks)  he  cut  as  short  as  possible, 
and,  passing  on,  started  up  the  stairway. 

Half-way  up  there  was  a  broad  landing,  and  as 
Florian  turned  on  this,  he  saw  at  the  head  of  the 
flight  the  blast-furnace  of  hair,  the  striking  hat  and 
the  pleasantly  rounded  figure  of  Clara's  visitor  —  a 
person  to  him  quite  unknown.  Fate,  however,  seemed 
to  have  in  store  for  him  an  extraordinary  introduc- 
tion, for  instantly  he  was  aware  of  the  descent  upon 
him  of  a  fiery  comet  of  femininity.  The  lady  seemed 
to  be  falling  down  stairs.  With  a  little  cry  she  de- 
scended, partly  flying,  partly  falling,  partly  sliding 
down  the  baluster  —  a  whirl  of  superheated  hair, 
swirling  skirts,  and  wide,  appealing  eyes  of  delf  blue. 
Amidon  caught  her  in  his  arms,  and  sought  to  place 
her  gently  on  her  feet:  but  in  the  pure  chance  and 
accident  of  the  encounter,  her  arms  had  fallen  about 

240 


Florian  arrived  so  that  he  might  hand  the    ladies   from    the 
Waldron  carriage  Page  247 


THE  STRAWBERRY  BLONDE 

his  neck,  and  she  hung  upon  him  in  something  like 
a  hug. 

"  Oh !  oh ! "  said  she,  "  the  idea  of  your  flying  to 
me  like  that !  But  it's  nice  of  you !  " 

Amidon  bowed  distantly,  and  in  evident  embarrass- 
ment. Miss  Scarlett  drew  herself  up,  as  at  an  unde- 
served rebuke. 

"  I  am  very  glad,"  said  he,  "  to  have  been  of  any 
service,  even  at  the  risk  of  seeming  familiarity,  in 
saving  you  from  a  fall.  I  hope  you  will  pardon  me, 
a  stranger,  for  so  far " 

"A  stranger!"  she  ejaculated;  "oh,  heavens! 
Leave  me,  'Gene !  Go  away !  " 

The  "  Go  away  "  was  pronounced  as  Mr.  Cox  ap- 
peared at  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  Amidon  passed  on, 
now  fully  aware  of  having  committed  a  faux  pas. 
Looking  back,  he  saw  Miss  Scarlett  leaning  against  a 
newel-post  as  if  in  agitation ;  saw  Mr.  Cox  come  up 
and  lead  her  down;  and  as  she  disappeared,  leaning 
weakly  on  her  escort's  arm,  the  mop  of  rumpled  hair 
faded  from  his  sight  like  a  receding  fire-ship.  Who 
could  she  be?  Suddenly  Alvord's  whispered  caution 
flashed  on  his  mind,  and  he  knew  that  he  had  en- 
countered, embraced  and  repudiated  the  Strawberry 
Blonde.  He  paused  for  a  moment  to  think  over  the  sit- 

241 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

nation  —  considerations  of  policy  were  coming  more 
and  more  to  appeal  to  him  as  guides,  and  he  found 
himself  feeling  vulpine  and  furtive.  But  here, 
thought  he,  would  it  not  really  have  been  best  to 
temporize  with  the  situation,  and  not  to  have  termi- 
nated all  relations  with  Miss  Scarlett  in  this  public 
way?  Would  it  not 

Then  rolled  over  his  heart  the  consciousness  of  the 
manifold  glories  of  his  Elizabeth's  womanhood.  Tem- 
porize with  another  woman?  The  very  thought  re- 
pelled him.  He  involuntarily  brushed  his  coat  where 
it  had  supported  and  encircled  Miss  Scarlett.  He 
felt  a  sense  of  unworthiness  in  having,  even  of  neces- 
sity and  for  a  proper  purpose,  embraced  this  other 
girl.  Looking  up,  he  saw  Judge  Blodgett  regarding 
him  like  a  portly  accusing  angel  from  the  head  of  the 
stairway.  He  made  a  feint  at  assisting  Amidon  in 
brushing  his  coat. 

"  Those  red  ones,"  said  he,  "  are  the  very  devil  for 
showing  on  black!  I'd  carry  a  whisk-broom,  if  I 
were  you ! " 

"  Blodgett,"  said  Amidon,  "  I  don't  care  to  be 
chaffed  about  an  accident  of  that  sort." 

"  Oh,  certainly  not!  "  said  the  judge.  "  But  pick 
off  the  ringlets  all  the  same.  And  say,  Florian,  of 

242 


THE  STRAWBERRY  BLONDE 

course  I  don't  count,  but  there  was  another  fellow 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  the  junior  in  the  firm  of 
Fuller  and  Cox,  my  fellow  practitioners;  and  in  ac- 
cidents of  this  sort  one  sometimes  does  as  much  dam- 
age as  a  regular  cloud  of  witnesses.  And  remember, 
if  you  won't  use  the  letter  of  withdrawal,  you're  to 
be  a  good  deal  in  the  public  eye,  now." 

Amidon  moved  on  in  disgust.  And  the  poor  faith- 
ful fellow,  that  his  spiritual  tone  might  be  restored, 
sat  down  and  read  once  more  his  Bible  —  the  letter 
superscribed  in  the  large,  scrawly  hand,  "  To  be  Read 
En  Route." 


243 


XXI 

SOME   ALTERNATIONS  IN   THE   CURRENT 

One  made  himself  a  name  for  skill  to  trace 
To   its  last  hiding-place, 

Each  secret  Mother  Earth  engaged  to  save, 

Of  jungle,  sea  or  cave. 
No  path  so  devious  but  he  mastered  it; 
And,  bit  by  bit, 

From  off  the  face  of  mystery,  he  tore 

The  veil  she  wore; 

Then,  turning  inward  all  his  skill  in  seeing, 
To  solve  the  knot  of  Being, 

In  the  deep  crypts  of  Self  fordone  he  lay, 

Quite  cast  away. 

—  Adventures  in  Egoism. 

Every  morning,  now,  a  box  of  flowers  went  up  to 
Elizabeth,  at  the  house  with  the  white  columns;  and 
every  evening  Mr.  Amidon  bravely  followed.  The 
terror  he  felt  of  women  was  overpowered  by  the 
greater  terror  of  losing  this  woman,  and  the  forti- 
tude and  resolution  he  possessed  in  all  other  fields  of 
action  were  returning  to  him.  His  violets  and  carna- 
tions she  always  wore  for  him,  and  all  the  roses  ex- 
cept the  red  ones,  which  she  put  in  vases  and  kept 
near  her,  but  did  not  wear.  She  was  ineffably  kind 

244 


SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT 

and  sweet,  in  a  high  and  pure  and  far-off  way  fit  for 
Olympus,  but  all  the  intimate  little  coquetries  and 
tricks  of  charm  with  which  she  had  at  first  received 
and  disconcerted  him  were  gone.  She  talked  to  him 
in  that  low  voice  of  hers,  but  oftener  she  sat  silent, 
and  seemed  to  desire  him  to  talk  to  her. 

Since  that  first  night,  he  could  not  bring  himself 
to  act  a  part,  further  than  to  assume  the  name  and 
place  of  Eugene  Brassfield.  He  stood  afar  off,  looked 
at  his  divinity  and  worshiped.  He  read  to  her  her 
favorite  books,  and  ventured  somewhat,  out  of  his 
exceptional  knowledge,  to  expound  them  —  whereat 
she  looked  away  and  listened  with  something  of  the 
astonishment  with  which  she  had  received  his  dis- 
quisitions on  poetry  and  art  on  that  first  unlucky 
evening.  For  the  most  part,  however,  he,  too,  was 
inclined  to  silences,  in  which  he  looked  at  Elizabeth 
in  the  happiness  of  a  lover's  wretchedness.  The  love 
she  had  given  to  Brassfield  seemed  to  him  based  on 
the  deceitful  pretensions  of  that  wretch,  and  in  any 
case  it  was  not  his,  and  he  felt  repelled  from  accept- 
ing it.  He  yearned  to  show  her  the  soul  of  Florian 
Amidon,  purified,  adorned,  and  dedicated  to  her. 

Once  or  twice  she  had  hinted  at  something  fateful 
which  she  wanted  to  say  to  him ;  but  he  had  begged 

245 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

her  to  wait.  After  a  few  days  of  this  slavish  devo- 
tion of  his,  she  seemed  less  aloof,  not  quite  so  much 
the  unattainable  goddess. 

She  gave  him  her  hand,  as  usual,  one  evening  at 
parting. 

"  I  shall  not  expect  to  see  you  to-morrow,"  said 
she,  "  until  we  meet  at  the  Pumphreys'  reception. 
Until  then,  good-by." 

"  I  thought,"  said  he,  "  that  if  you  would  permit, 
I  should  like  to  call  in  the  afternoon  —  say  at  three 
or  four.  May  I  ?  " 

He  looked  so  pleadingly  at  her,  holding  the  little 
hand  in  both  of  his,  that  it  is  no  wonder  her  color 
rose.  It  was  like  the  worshipful  inception  of  a  new 
courtship. 

"  I  shall  be  invisible,"  said  she,  "  all  day  —  so  you 
must  wait.  You  haven't  any  time  to  bother  with  me, 
anyhow.  Haven't  you  your  platform  to  complete? 
A  public  man  must  attend  to  public  matters  first,  and, 
anyhow,  I  shall  be  denied  to  all  my  friends,  and  you 
must  wait  with  the  rest !  " 

"  It  is  hard  to  wait,"  he  answered,  "  when  you  are 
so  near." 

"  I  shall  try  to  make  amends,"  said  she,  "  by  en- 
deavoring to  be  as  beautiful  as  —  as  you  used  to 

246 


describe  me  —  at  the  reception.  Good  night !  Good 
night!" 

He  once  more  violated  the  Brassfield  traditions; 
he  simply  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips  and  kissed  it. 
To  do  more,  he  felt,  would  spoil  all.  She  went  in, 
more  nearly  happy  than  at  any  time  since  his  return, 
but  sorely  puzzled.  "  I  shall  never  understand  him," 
she  thought. 

Mrs.  Major  Pumphrey,  standing  in  line  with  Miss 
Scarlett  and  Mrs.  Pumphrey's  sister  from  Wisconsin; 
a  procession  of  people  coming  in  by  twos  and  threes, 
and  steered  by  attendants  into  rooms  for  doffing 
wraps;  a  chain  of  de-wrapped  human  beings  circu- 
lating past  the  receiving  line  and  listening  to  Mrs. 
Pumphrey's  assurances  that  she  was  delighted  to  wel- 
come them  that  she  might  have  the  pleasure  of  intro- 
ducing them  to  her  sister  —  and  of  course  they  knew 
Miss  Scarlett;  an  Italian  harper  who  played  cease- 
lessly among  palms;  a  punch-bowl  presided  over  by 
Flossie  Smith  and  Mrs.  Alvord;  a  melange  of  black 
coats,  pretty  frocks  and  white  arms  and  shoulders;  a 
glare  of  lights ;  a  hum  like  a  hive's  —  in  short,  a 
reception.  Such  was  the  function  to  which  Florian 
made  his  way,  waiting  until  he  could  arrive  concom- 
itantly  with  the  Waldron  carriage  so  that  he  might 

247 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

hand  the  ladies  therefrom,  and  receive  from  his  divin- 
ity a  little,  uncertain  pressure  of  the  hand.  Then 
came  his  respects  to  Mrs.  Pumphrey.  Amidon  start- 
ed as  he  recognized  in  the  bright-haired  second  person 
in  line  his  fairy  of  the  balustrade. 

"  So  delighted  to  see  you  here,  Mr.  Brassfield ! " 
said  Mrs.  Pumphrey.  "  It  gives  me  the  opportunity 
of  presenting  you  to  —  why,  Daisy,  where's  your 
auntie  gone?  She  was  here  just  now!" 

"  She  was  called  away  for  a  few  moments,"  said 
Miss  Scarlett.  "  Yes,  I  believe  Mr.  Brassfield  and  I 
have  met " — this  with  an  icy  bow  — "  and  please,  Mr. 
Cox,  don't  go,  until  I  have  told  you  the  end  of  the 
story ! "  And  she  went  on  vivaciously  chatting  to 
Billy  Cox,  who  had  moored  himself  as  close  to  her  as 
the  tide  of  guests  sweeping  by  her  would  permit. 
Which  current  swept  Mr.  Amidon  onward  as  he  was 
in  the  act  of  assuring  his  hostess  of  his  sense  of  loss 
in  her  sister's  absence  —  until  an  eddy  left  him  in  a 
quiet  corner,  where  he  found  absorbing  occupation  in 
trying  to  imagine  again  as  vividly  as  possible  that 
pressure  of  the  hand.  Was  it  meant  as  an  evidence 
of  affection  ?  —  or  did  her  foot  slip,  so  that  she  clung 
to  his  hand  to  prevent  a  fall?  This  question  seemed 
of  the  most  transcendent  importance  to  him,  and  he 

248 


SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT 

debated  it  mentally  all  the  evening,  as  he  talked  the 
set  conversation  of  such  an  occasion.  He  knew  no 
one;  but  every  one  knew  him;  yet  he  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  getting  on,  because  there  was  no  sense  in  any 
of  the  conversation.  He  could  answer  all  the  remarks 
regarding  his  new  role  of  political  leader  without 
committing  himself  to  anything  serious.  Bright  eyes 
flashed  meaning  and  soulful  glances  into  his,  as  sweet 
lips  said  things  which  he  could  answer  quite  as  well 
as  if  the  context  of  the  conversation  had  been  as 
familiar  to  him  as  it  was  supposed  to  be.  Plati- 
tudes, generalities,  inanities;  and  inanities,  platitudes 
and  generalities  in  reply.  Amidon  looked  the  part  of 
Brassfield  perfectly,  and  on  occasions  of  this  sort,  to 
look  the  part  is  quite  enough. 

He  found  Elizabeth  again,  surrounded  by  a  circle 
of  admirers  —  men  and  women  —  an  oasis  of  intelli- 
gence, it  seemed  to  him  as  he  listened,  in  a  desert  of 
twaddle.  She  smiled  at  him  with  her  eyes,  as  he 
looked  at  her  through  the  press,  and  just  as  he  had 
won  to  a  place  by  her  side,  the  tide  was  sent  flooding 
into  a  large  room  where,  it  was  announced,  Professor 
Blatherwick  and  Madame  le  Claire  were  doing  feats 
of  occultism. 

"Laties  ant  shentlernen,"—  it  was  the  professor 
249 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

who  spoke,  "  you  are  at  liperty,  of  gourse,  to  adopt 
any  t'eory  vich  seems  to  you  goot  to  eggsblain  dese 
phenomena.  Madame  le  Claire  offers  none.  Ven 
she  hass  broduced  te  phenomena,  she  iss  —  she  iss  all 
in !  If  dey  seem  to  you  to  be  de  vork  of  tisempodied 
spirits,  fery  well  —  goot !  Somedimes  it  seems  so  to 
her.  If  you  rekard  letchertemain  as  a  sufficient  vork- 
ing  hypot'esis,  vy,  letchertemain  goes,  and  upon  dat 
hypot'esis  ve  vill  gontinue  to  vork  de  miracles  ant  de 
public.  Id  iss  kvite  de  same  to  Madame  le  Claire. 
It  iss  only  fair  to  say,  howefer,  dat  she  hass  nefer  yet 
detected  herself  in  any  fraut.  Bud  she  offers  no 
eggsblanation ;  she  chust  gifes  dese  tests  for  your 
gonsiteration." 

A  ripple  of  laughter  and  a  buzz  of  interested  com- 
ment ran  through  the  room. 

"  But  how  was  it  possible  for  her  to  get  her  hands 
loose?  "  said  one. 

"  I  assure  you,"  said  Mrs.  Meyer,  she  of  the  Par- 
sifal impressions,  and  the  wife  of  the  Hebrew  leader 
of  the  Gentile  mob  who  went  "  down  the  line  "  for 
McCorkle  the  night  before  the  caucuses,  "  I  assure 
you  that  what  she  told  me  was  unknown  not  only  to 
every  one  else,  but  to  me  also ;  but  it  turned  out  true. 
It's  uncanny ! " 

250 


SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT 

"  It's  humbug,"  said  the  bass  voice  of  Doctor 
Brown,  "  and  until  you  show  me  the  source  of  this 
'  occult '  energy,  I  shall  so  contend.  Animal  mag- 
netism and  sleight-of-hand!  What  do  you  think, 
Mrs.  Hunter?" 

Amidon  looked  across  and  saw  —  Mrs.  Hunter,  of 
Hazelhurst !  It  was  she  and  her  daughter  from  whom 
he  had  bashfully  flown  to  the  buffet,  just  before  he 
alighted  from  the  train  at  Elm  Springs  Junction. 
As  he  looked  at  her  all  the  old  life  returned  to  him! 
He  saw  himself  sitting  with  her  and  Minnie  in  the 
car,  as  she  talked  fashions  to  him  and  chattered  her 
anticipations  of  the  lovely  time  Minnie  was  to  have 
with  the  family  of  Senator  Fowler  on  the  Maine 
coast.  He  saw  Blodgett  come  in,  and  himself  seize 
the  opportunity  to  escape  with  his  lawyer  to  the 
buffet.  Then  he  saw  the  rural  railway  platform,  the 
fading  glory  of  the  west  —  and  then  the  waking  in 
the  sleeping-car !  Could  it  all  be  possible  ? 

"  Do  you  know  the  lady  talking  with  Doctor 
Brown  ?  "  he  asked  of  Miss  Waldron. 

"Mrs.  Hunter?"  said  Elizabeth  questioningly. 
"  Why,  didn't  you  meet  her  when  you  came  in  ?  She 
is  Mrs.  Pumphrey's  sister,  of  Hazelhurst,  Wisconsin. 
She  receives  with  Mrs.  Pumphrey  to-night." 

251 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  I  thought  it  was  Mrs.  Hunter,  as  soon  as  I  saw 
her,"  answered  Amidon ;  "  she  is  an  old  acquaintance 
of  mine." 

And  it  was  some  little  time,  so  far  had  he  forgotten 
his  peculiar  position,  before  the  baleful  possibilities 
of  this  innocent  and  truthful  remark  occurred  to  him. 
When  he  thought  of  it,  any  observing  friend  might 
well  have  inquired  after  his  health,  so  gray  with  pal- 
lor and  moist  with  sweat  had  his  face  become.  Not 
that  he  felt  hanging  over  him  any  such  danger  as  he 
had  feared  when  he  found  himself  in  the  shoes  of 
another  man,  with  that  other  man  unaccounted  for. 
He  really  cared  very  little  about  that,  now.  The 
people  of  Bellevale,  and  Hazelhurst,  too,  might  think 
what  they  pleased  about  this  mystery  of  disappear- 
ance and  reappearance:  he  was  independent  of  them 
all,  and  those  he  really  cared  about  would  under- 
stand. 

But  Elizabeth!  Everything  now  revolved  about 
her.  Now  that  she  had  grown  so  dear  —  that  she 
had  come  to  smile  on  him  in  his  new  character  — 
how  could  he  let  her  know  that  this  Eugene  Brassfield 
whom  she  so  admired  and  loved,  was  no  more  for 
ever;  and  that  Florian  Amidon  had  never  seen  her, 
never  loved  her,  never  wooed  her  until  these  past  few 

252 


SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT 

days !  Would  she  ever  see  him  again  ?  Could  she 
regard  him  as  anything  else  than  an  interloper  and 
an  impostor?  His  right  to  Brassfield's  clothes  and 
Brassfield's  fortune  might  be  as  clear  as  Judge  Blod- 
gett  said ;  but  would  not  Elizabeth  feel  that  as  to  her 
he  had  attempted  the  very  deed  of  which  he  had  first 
suspected  himself  —  fraud  and  robbery  ?  And  her 
"  perfect  lover,"  whom  Amidon  habitually  thought 
of  as  "  that  fellow  Brassfield  "•  —  all  the  perfections 
which  Elizabeth  had  learned  to  attribute  to  him, 
would  no  longer  be  credited  to  Amidon.  It  was 
tragic ! 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  beloved,  any  man  would  have 
been  a  perfect  lover,  or  none  at  all,  to  Elizabeth.  A 
perfect  lover  is  the  noblest  work  of  woman. 

"  Te  autience,"  went  on  the  professor,  "  vill  haf 
te  eggstreme  gourtesy  to  assist  in  a  temonstration 
of  Madame  le  Claire's  power  as  a  hypnotist.  Not 
effery  vun  gan  pe  hypnoticed  te  fairst  dime;  bud  ve 
vill  try.  Vill  te  autience  bleace  suchest  te  name  of  a 
laty  or  shentleman  as  a  supchect?  " 

"  Doctor  Brown !  "  said  many  voices.  "  Alvord !  " 
said  others,  but  most  of  the  votes  appeared  to  be  for 
Brassfield  —  a  name  which  the  professor  hailed  joy- 
fully as  insuring  against  failure.  It  is  not  often 

253 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

that  the  audience  will  hit  on  the  only  practised  sensi- 
tive in  the  room. 

Madame  le  Claire  started,  as  there  was  thus  pre- 
sented to  her  the  thought  of  bringing  her  power  to 
bear  on  Amidon.  The  serious  results  of  her  last  ex- 
ercise of  it  came  vividly  to  her  mind.  Yet,  here  she 
was  openly  hypnotizing  him.  Here  she  could  keep 
him  under  control.  She  could  limit  his  Brassfield 
state  as  to  time,  or  she  could  keep  him  in  a  state  of 
automatism. 

"  Mr.  Brassfield  vill  greatly  obliche  by  goming 
forvart,"  said  the  professor;  and,  as  he  had  learned 
to  do,  Amidon  obeyed  his  request. 

Elizabeth,  standing  near  Mrs.  Hunter,  heard  an 
agitated  exclamation  from  that  lady  as  Mr.  Amidon 
went  forward. 

"  For  heaven's  sake,"  said  she,  "  it's  Florian  Am- 
idon!" 

"Who?"  inquired  Mrs.  Pumphrey,  "that?  Why, 
that's  our  chief  citizen,  soon  to  be  our  chief  magis- 
trate, Mr.  Eugene  Brassfield." 

Elizabeth  heard  no  more,  but  in  spite  of  perplexity 
at  what  she  regarded  as  Mrs.  Hunter's  recognition 
of  her  lover's  face  and  forgetfulness  of  his  name,  she 
could  not  help  noticing  her  excited  talk  to  her  sister, 

254 


and  the  meaning  glances  finally  directed  toward  her, 
Elizabeth.  Whereat,  to  hide  a  little  rosy  flush,  Miss 
Waldron  turned  more  completely  toward  the  place  of 
the  hypnotist. 

Madame  le  Claire  stood  in  the  little  curtained  al- 
cove, empty  save  for  the  great  tiger-skin  rug,  the 
dais,  and  a  chair  or  two.  She  was  gowned  once  more 
in  the  yellow  and  black,  and  stood  in  tigrine  splendor 
cap-a-pie.  Amidon  felt  her  old  power  over  him,  as 
he  approached  her  and  looked  into  those  mysterious 
eyes,  and  knew  that  he  should  do  her  bidding.  She 
looked  at  his  troubled  countenance,  and  pitied  him 
for  his  long  evening  of  mental  strain.  She  had  seen 
his  devotion  to  Elizabeth,  and,  be  it  confessed,  was 
jealous  in  spite  of  herself.  Pity  and  jealousy  in- 
spired the  resolution  which  now  formed  in  her  mind: 
she  would  for  an  interval  —  an  interval  definitely 
limited  —  restore  Eugene  Brassfield  to  this  company 
in  which  he  was  so  completely  at  home,  and  lay  the 
troubled  ghost,  Amidon.  He  would  appear  to  better 
advantage  altogether  and  do  himself  more  credit;  he 
would,  in  fact,  be  more  convincingly  Bellevale's  "  chief 
citizen." 

She  bowed  deeply  and  waved  him  to  the  chair. 
Then  she  performed  the  charm  of  "  woven  paces  and 

255 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

of  waving  arms,"  and  he  slept,  "  lost  to  life  and  use 
and  name  and  fame." 

"  When  he  opens  his  eyes,"  said  she,  "  he  will  know 
nothing,  think  nothing,  do  nothing,  except  what  I 
suggest." 

"  Make  him  dance  with  the  broom,"  suggested  Cox. 

"  Let's  have  his  inaugural  address,"  petitioned 
Edgington. 

"  Give  him  this,"  said  Alvord,  offering  a  coin, 
"  and  make  him  think  it's  hot.  People  in  this  neigh- 
borhood would  go  farther  to  see  Brassfield  drop  a 
piece  of  money,  than  to  interview  a  live  dinosaur ! " 

The  laughter  at  this  sally  was  lost  on  Madame  le 
Claire.  She  was  looking  down  on  the  unconscious 
Amidon,  and  wondering  how  any  one  could  think  of 
making  him  the  instrument  of  buffoonery. 

"  I  will  perform  only  one  simple,  yet  very  difficult, 
test,"  said  she.  "  This  gentleman  will  soon  wake  as 
Mr.  Brassfield,  and  will  be  his  old  and  usual  self 
among  you  until  a  certain  hour,  which  I  will  write 
on  this  card,  and  seal  up  in  this  envelope,  so  that  no 
one  will  know,  and  inform  Mr.  Brassfield  by  sug- 
gestion. When  that  particular  moment  arrives,  wher- 
ever he  may  be,  whatever  he  may  be  doing,  he  will 
enter  the  cataleptic  state.  The  test  is  regarded  as  a 

256 


SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT 

severe  and  perfect  one.  The  card  will  remain  in  the 
possession  of  Major  Pumphrey  until  it  succeeds  or 
fails,  and  the  envelope  will  then  be  opened." 

Kneeling  on  the  dais,  she  seemed  whispering  in 
the  subject's  ear.  Then,  tapping  his  wrist,  she  said, 
decisively,  "  Wake !  " 

It  was  Eugene  Brassfield  who  opened  his  eyes  on 
a  circle  of  his  friends,  associates  and  cronies.  He 
rose  lightly  and  confidently,  and  laughed  at  the 
chaffing  of  his  friends.  He  bowed  to  Madame  le 
Claire,  and  moved  across  the  room  to  Elizabeth's  side, 
with  an  air  of  incipient  proprietorship. 

"  No  true  lover  of  carnations,"  he  confided  to  her, 
"  could  wish  you  to  wear  them  as  you  do  to-night." 

"  Really  ?     I  suppose  I  ought  to  ask  why  ?  " 

"  It  isn't  fair  to  the  flowers,"  said  he.  "  Flowers 
have  rights,  you  know,  and  to  be  outdone  in  sweet- 
ness    Ah,  Jim !  Go  away,  and  don't  bother  me ! 

Don't  you  see  I'm  very  busy  ?  " 

"  Old  man,"  said  Alvord,  answering  to  the  name 
of  "  Jim,"  "  it's  good  to  see  you  as  you  are  to-night 
—  your  old  self.  You'll  make  a  hit,  my  boy.  This 
will  make  it  more  than  ever  a  cinch !  " 

Self-possessed,  masterful,  Mr.  Brassfield  moved 
through  the  assembly  like  a  conqueror.  Those  who, 

257 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

a  short  time  ago,  found  him  dull  and  moody,  rejoiced 
now  in  his  confident  persiflage  pitched  safely  in  the 
restful  key  of  mediocrity,  but  possessed  withal  of  a 
species  of  brilliancy,  like  the  skilful  playing  of  scales. 
Elizabeth  noted  the  return  of  that  dash  and  abandon 
which  she  had  lately  so  missed  —  but  for  the  first 
time  the  Brassfield  music  had  a  hollow  ring  in  her 
ears.  The  subtler  melody  of  last  night  —  after  all, 
it  was  best! 

Madame  le  Claire,  immensely  popular,  gave  read- 
ings in  palmistry.  Miss  Smith  was  to  have  a  hus- 
band with  dark  eyes.  Mr.  Brassfield  offered  to  cross 
her  palm  with  any  gold  coin  she  might  name,  if  she 
would  promise  him  a  sweetheart  with  party-colored 
eyes,  who  would  meet  him  for  a  long  talk  next  day. 
Madame  le  Claire  blushed  and  dropped  the  hand. 

Mr.  Brassfield  adroitly  overtook  Miss  Scarlett, 
who  seemed  endeavoring  to  retreat.  He  stood  by 
her,  chatting  lightly,  using  two  voices,  a  distinct  and 
conversational  tone,  and  one  so  low  as  to  be  for  her 
ear  alone. 

"  Oh,  isn't  it  a  crush?  "  said  he.  "  (  Daise,  what's 
the  matter?}  A  perfect  evening,  though.  (Are  you 
running  away  from  me?)  And  such  delightful  peo- 
ple! (The  east  room  m  ten  minutes;  is  it  yes?)" 

258 


SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT 

Miss  Scarlett  nodded,  and  Brassfield  moved  on. 
Mrs.  Pumphrey,  Mrs.  Hunter  and  Elizabeth  Wal- 
dron  were  sipping  punch. 

"  May  I  have  some  ?  "  said  he.  "  And,  please, 
Mrs.  Pumphrey,  may  I  be  presented  to  the  guest  of 
the  evening  ?  " 

Mrs.  Hunter  received  the  introduction  with  a  gasp. 

"  Is  it  possible,"  said  she,  "  that  you  don't  know 
me?  Can  the  possessor  of  that  voice  and  face  be  any 
one  but  Florian  Amidon  ?  ?' 

"  Amidon,  Amidon  ?  "  he  repeated.  "  Pardon  me, 
but  some  one  else  spoke  that  name  to  me  lately,  and 
I  was  trying  to  recall  the  circumstances.  It  is  in 
every  way  on  my  part  to  be  regretted,  as  the  fact  has 
deprived  me  of  the  happiness  of  knowing  you,  that  I 
am  not  Mr.  Amidon.  Am  I  so  like  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  a  matter  of  resemblance,  but  of  iden- 
tity ! "  replied  Mrs.  Hunter.  "  Were  you  never  in 
Hazelhurst,  Wisconsin  ?  " 

"  Never,"  said  Mr.  Brassfield ;  "  but  I  am  begin- 
ning to  see  its  beauties  as  a  place  of  residence.  And 
I  hope  to  know  more  of  this  other  Dromio  before  the 
evening  is  past." 

Mrs.  Hunter  bowed  in  acknowledgment  of  the  com- 
pliment, and  Mr.  Brassfield  took  himself  gracefully 

259 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

from  their  presence.     In  the  fashion  of  one  pressed 
for  time,  he  moved  on. 

Elizabeth  had  grown  suddenly  very  grave.  What 
did  this  conduct  of  her  lover  mean?  A  little  while 
ago  he  had  recognized  Mrs.  Hunter,  at  a  distance, 
as  an  old  acquaintance.  Now  he  had  audaciously 
outfaced  her,  and  denied  that  he  ever  knew  her. 
Could  this  be  the  man  she  had  trusted  with  her  all? 
Again  her  doubts  and  fears  and  scruples  rose  —  rose 
instantly  in  full  strength.  The  new  impressions  she 
had  lately  received  of  him  vanished,  and  all  the  subtle 
suggestions  of  sordid  lightness  which  the  diplomacy 
of  Brassfield,  even,  had  not  entirely  kept  from  her 
mind,  came  back  with  multiplied  distinctness.  These 
transformations  of  character,  these  curious  duplici- 
ties, and  now  this  lie.  She  must  think  it  over:  it 
impressed  her,  and  she  must  act. 

"  Auntie,"  said  she,  "  let  us  go." 

As  down  the  stairway  they  came,  robed  for  depart- 
ure, they  were  conscious  of  a  hum  of  excitement  run- 
ning through  the  assembly. 

"  Where  is  he  ?  The  envelope  has  been  opened  and 
the  time  is  up !  Where  is  he  ?  "  were  the  cries.  "  It's 
eleven :  it's  a  minute  past  eleven !  Where's  Mr.  Brass- 
field?" 

260 


Oh,  it  must  be  stopped  !  "  exclaimed  the  occultist          Page  293 


SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT 

At  this  moment,  a  scream,  a  soprano  scream,  high, 
long-drawn  and  piercing,  the  scream  of  a  woman  in 
terror,  came  echoing  from  the  deserted  east  room. 
A  body  of  guests  rushed  through  the  portieres,  Mad- 
ame le  Claire,  pale  with  fright,  at  their  head,  and 
Elizabeth  borne  with  them,  all  looking  to  see  what 
violence  had  provoked  that  scream.  They  saw  Mr. 
Brassfield,  seated  on  a  sofa  in  a  shadowy  corner, 
holding  both  Miss  Scarlett's  hands  in  his;  saw  the 
girl  frantically,  but  in  vain,  trying  to  take  them  from 
his  grasp.  He  sat  like  a  statue,  with  his  eyes  set 
wide  and  unwinking  like  a  corpse's,  every  limb  and 
muscle  rigid,  his  body  tense  and  immovable  as  a 
stone  image.  The  sight  was  terrible.  It  was  as  if 
the  living  man  had  been  transformed  in  an  instant 
into  a  ghastly  trap,  to  catch  those  soft,  warm,  pretty 
hands!  She  ceased  her  efforts  to  break  away,  but 
stood  white  and  almost  fainting,  and  begging  hys- 
terically for  help. 

Madame  le  Claire  leaped  forward  like  a  tigress, 
so  light  was  her  step,  and  passed  her  hand  over  his 
eyes,  so  as  to  close  them.  Then,  bending  her  gaze 
one  moment  piercingly  on  his  face,  she  sharply 
tapped  his  wrist  and  uttered  the  single  word, 
"Wake!" 

261 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Florian  Amidon  opened  his  eyes.  He  saw  that 
something  extraordinary  was  taking  place,  for,  in 
the  act  of  opening  his  eyes,  he  had  seen  Miss  Scar- 
lett fall  back  into  the  arms  of  Mr.  Cox,  and  knew 
that  she  was  being  conveyed  rapidly  away. 

"  It  iss  now,"  said  the  professor,  "  vun  minute  past 
eleven.  Te  test,  you  vill  atmit,  hass  peen  a  gom- 
plete  success.  Dis  sairgumsdance  vill  pe  noted  as 
exdablishing  to  a  sairtain  eggstent  an  important 
brinciple,  ant  hass  peen  in  effery  vay  bleasant  ant  a 
success :  not  ?  " 

A  laugh  or  two  was  heard,  then  more  laughter, 
then  a  little  hum  of  reviving  talk,  and  one  could  ob- 
serve that  the  affair  was  to  be  passed  off  as  one  of 
the  mysteries  of  occultism. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Amidon,  "  if  I  have  contributed 
my  share  to  the  gaiety  of  the  occasion,  I  shall  beg 
now  to  be  permitted  to  depart." 

The  Waldrons  were  waiting  for  their  carriage  as 
he  came  down. 

"  There  will  be  plenty  of  assistance,"  said  the  aunt, 
"  and  we  shall  not  need  to  detain  you." 

"  Oh,  auntie,  auntie ! "  wept  Elizabeth,  when  they 
were  safely  alone,  "  there  was  a  spell  upon  him,  as 
you  say,  there  in  the  east  room,  but  the  spell  that 

262 


SOME  ALTERNATIONS  IN  THE  CURRENT 

took  him  there  was  none  of  the  hypnotist's  working! 
I  am  shamed,  and  humiliated,  and  robbed  of  all  I 
have  to  live  for!  He  went  there,  auntie,  of  his  own 
accord,  and  left  me!  " 

Mr.  Alvord  passed  the  thing  off  more  lightly. 

"  Confound  it ! "  said  he,  "  I  wish  they  were  in 
Hades  with  their  mesmeric  stunts!  I  shan't  tell 
Brass  what  happened,  for  it  won't  do  any  good;  and 
the  less  notice  there's  taken  of  it  the  better.  But 
carrying  things  before  him  as  he  was  —  it  was  hard 
luck  to  have  that  occur.  Puts  him  in  an  undignified 
position,  to  say  the  least.  I  wish  I  could  think  there 
was  nothing  more  to  it ! " 


263 


XXII 

A   REVIVAL   OF   BELSHAZZAR 

We  are  but  Sitters  at  the  Table,  Guests, 
Where  each  drinks  more,  the  more  that  he  protests, 
Sees,  One  by  One,  his  Fellows  slip  from  Sight, 
And  then  himself  beneath  the  Table  rests. 

Some  walk  the  Sinuous  Crack  for  Test,  and  Some 
Judge  by  the  throbbing  Fullness  of  the  Thumb  — 

But  lo!  the  Fool  continues  till  the  Guests 
Are  changed  to  Pairs  of  Twins  as  in  they  come! 

—  Imitations  of  Immorality. 

Barring  the  somewhat  equivocal  episode  of  the  east 
room  at  Major  Pumphrey's,  everything  had  gone  to 
Mr.  Alvord's  liking  since  Mr.  Brassfield  had  placed 
the  campaign  in  his  hands.  And,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
that  affair  was  so  susceptible  of  plausible  explana- 
tion, and  so  fenced  about  by  the  sanctities  of  private 
hospitality,  that  Alvord  was  reassured  after  a  day 
or  two  had  passed  with  no  public  scandal.  Amidon 
stayed  away  from  headquarters,  and  Alvord,  acting 
under  the  unlimited  authority  granted  by  Brassfield, 
took  all  responsibility  and  proceeded  most  effectively 

264 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

in  his  own  way.  Amidon's  instructions  by  telephone, 
to  prepare  a  statement  of  disbursements  to  be  made 
public,  he  regarded  as  one  of  Brassfield'c  jokes.  His 
suggestion  that  he  meant  to  stand  on  a  platform 
of  principles  seemed  equally  humorous.  To  propose 
such  ridiculous  things  in  a  perfectly  serious  way,  and 
laugh  at  the  victim's  credulity  in  "  biting "  on  the 
hoax,  was  quite  in  harmony  with  the  relations  among 
the  members  of  the  set  to  which  they  belonged,  where 
practical  jokes,  merciless  chaffing  and  perpetual  ef- 
forts to  get  the  best  of  one  another  had  given  the 
group  a  more  than  local  celebrity. 

Having,  therefore,  no  suspicion  that  his  candi- 
date's platform  of  principles  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
reporters,  and  would  appear  in  the  next  morning's 
papers,  Alvord  took  his  way  to  the  annual  supper  of 
the  A.  O.  C.  M.  feeling  that  all  was  well  in  the 
world,  and  that  here,  at  least,  his  candidate  would 
acquit  himself  well. 

Messrs.  Bulliwinkle  and  Cox  were  absent  when  the 
time  came  for  sitting  down  to  supper,  and  Mr.  Simp- 
son, the  Master  of  the  Revels,  decreed  that  no  one 
was  to  be  waited  for.  So  the  chairs  of  the  absentees 
were  shoved  up,  and  reminded  Mr.  Slater,  who  was 
quite  high  in  spirits,  of  The  Vacant  Chair,  which  he 

265 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

sang  to  the  bass  of  Judge  Blodgett,  and  a  humming 
accompaniment  by  Alvord  and  Edgington.  Pro- 
fessor Blatherwick  listened  with  rapt  attention  and 
was  much  affected. 

"  Dis  iss  Heidelberg  unt  stutent  tays,"  said  he. 
"  Strong  and  luffing  hearts,  ant  veak  hets  ant  stom- 
achs! Oh,  te  svorts  ant  steins  ant  songs  ant  scraps! 
It  iss  brotuctife  of  tears  ant  schmiles ! " 

"  Especially  smiles,"  said  Mr.  Simpson ;  "  and 
right  in  that  connection,  these  cocktails  are  supposed 
to  go  in  ahead  of  the  refection.  Gentlemen,  a  good 
time  to  all!" 

Now,  after  some  courses  of  soup  and  fish  and  en- 
trees, Mr.  Alvord  noted  the  cocktails  and  the  uncon- 
sumed  glasses  of  wine  at  the  plates  of  Bulliwinkle 
and  Cox,  and  with  a  sense  of  equity  truly  Anglo- 
Saxon,  he  raised  the  point  that  it  was  an  injustice 
to  those  who  had  been  prompt,  to  have  these  two 
fresh  competitors  come  in  late  and  entirely  sober  in 
the  middle  of  the  feast. 

"  Point  seems  to  be  well  taken,"  said  Judge 
Blodgett.  "  I  move,  your  Honor,  that  the  wet  goods 
apportionable  to  our  absent  friends  be  set  aside  for 
them." 

"  Sustained ! "  roared  Simpson.  "  Let  the  booze 
266 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

of  Bulli winkle  and  Cox  be  filed  away  for  future  ref- 
erence, in  the  sideboard !  " 

So  their  glasses  stood  in  two  rows,  lengthening 
course  by  course,  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  ab- 
sentees. And  thus  it  was  that  when  Mr.  Bulliwinklc, 
fat,  bald,  and  rubicund,  made  his  appearance,  the 
proceedings  were  suspended  until  he  had  imbibed  his 
share,  glass  by  glass,  beginning  with  the  cocktails 
and  ending  temporarily  with  Madeira.  Then  Mr. 
Bulliwinkle  suddenly  became  profoundly  grave,  and 
was  soon  detected  by  Alvord  in  the  act  of  stealthily 
endeavoring  to  place  his  finger  accurately  upon  cer- 
tain small  round  spots  in  the  table-cloth.  Where- 
upon, Mr.  Bulliwinkle,  to  show  how  entirely  he  had 
himself  in  hand,  proposed  a  toast  in  verse  beginning, 

"  Now  here's  to  the  girl  with  the  auburn  hair, 
And  the  shoulders  whiter  than  snow," 

and  drank  it  off  in  a  bumper.  All  seemed  to  forget 
Bulliwinkle  at  this  and  transferred  their  attention  to 
Amidon,  and  pounded  on  the  table  and  called  for  a 
response  from  him.  Blodgett  nodded  for  him  to 
yield,  and  in  order  that  he  might  be  fully  in  charac- 
ter, Florian  began  by  saying  that  they,  who  knew 
him  so  well  were  quite  well  aware  that  he  could  re- 

267 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

spond  to  a  toast  in  honor  of  the  girl  with  the  auburn 
hair 

"  Or  any  other  old  color ! "  shouted  Edgington. 

"  Or  all  colors  at  once ! "  roared  a  nameless  wight 
at  the  foot  of  the  table. 

At  which  gaucherie,  the  nameless  wight  was  the 
recipient  of  nudges  and  scowls  in  the  direction  of  the 
professor  (who  was  probably  unaware  of  the  color 
of  the  hair  on  his  own  head,  to  say  nothing  of  his 
daughter's)  and  Edgington  filled  the  gap  caused 
by  the  unexpected  collapse  of  Amidon's  response  by 
charging  that  Cox  was  absent  because  of  his  having 
recently  taken  passage  upon  the  water-wagon,  and 
was  traitorously  staying  away.  Alvord  proposed 
that  a  messenger  be  sent  for  him,  and  when  the  A. 
D.  T.  boy  came,  a  written  summons  was  penned  on 
a  menu  card,  on  which  progress  to  date  was  checked, 
and  instructions  given  that  the  document  be  pre- 
sented to  Cox  at  his  home  every  twenty  min- 
utes until  he  came  —  Cox  to  pay  the  charges ;  and 
the  messenger  to  return  between  trips  to  report,  and 
to  have  the  menu  checked  up  so  that  Cox  might  note 
the  forward  movement  of  events,  and  see  how  far 
he  was  behind. 

When  Mr.  Simpson  rose  to  make  a  few  general  ob- 
268 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

servations  ushering  in  that  part  of  the  program  usu- 
ally devoted  to  speech-making,  Mr.  Bulliwinkle, 
whose  vision  was  slightly  impaired,  took  him  for  the 
tardy  Cox  and  some  friend  whom  Cox  had  brought, 
and  greeted  them  with  a  strident  "  How-de-do !  " 
After  this  blunder,  of  course,  Mr.  Bulliwinkle  was 
logically  bound  to  show  that  the  exclamation  was 
uttered  by  virtue  of  a  deliberate  plan,  and  so  he  re- 
peated it  from  time  to  time  all  the  evening,  until  the 
ordeal  of  mixed  drinks,  to  which  his  late  arrival  had 
subjected  him,  proved  too  much  for  his  endurance 
and  robbed  him  of  speech.  But  this  is  anticipating. 

A  dozen  matches  were  burning  and  a  dozen  Ha- 
vanas  sending  forth  their  first  cloudlets  of  blue  over 
the  sparkling  glasses  of  champagne,  as  Mr.  Simp- 
son began  his  remarks. 

"  To  most  of  those  present,"  he  said,  "  I  don't 
need  to  say  that  this  is  a  sort  of  annual  affair.  To 
our  new  friends  I  will  explain  that  this  club  is  an 
institution  of  Bellevale  Lodge,  Number  689,  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Christian  Martyrs,  of  which  noble 
fraternity  we  are  all  devoted  members.  Present  com- 
pany are  members,  ex  or  incumbent,  of  the  Board  of 
Control,  and  a  system  of  fines  for  absence  at  board 
meetings  accumulates  a  fund  which  has  to  be  spent, 

269 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

and  we  are  now  engaged  in  spending  it.  Beyond 
the  logic  of  the  situation,  which  points  unerringly 
to  the  blowing-in  of  this  fund,  the  impending  happy 
event  in  the  life  of  our  treasurer,  Brother  Brassfield, 
together  with  the  public  honors  already  and  about 
to  be  conferred  on  him,  render  it  fitting  that  this 
banquet  be  in  his  honor.  What  the  devil  is  that 
racket  ?  Oh,  the  boy !  Let  the  wandering  cai- 
tiff enter!  What  says  the  recreant  invader  of  our 
Mystic  Circle?" 

"  He  said  he'd  hev'  me  'rested  'f  I  came  there  any 
more,  an'  the  whole  bunch  pulled,"  said  the  boy. 
"  An'  he  chucked  the  paper  out  o'  the  winder." 

"  Let  another  scroll  be  prepared,"  roared  Simp- 
son, "  and  go  back  to  him  as  per  schedule." 

"  But,"  said  the  boy,  "  he  said " 

"  We  hold  the  police  force  in  the  hollow  of  our 
hands !  "  shouted  Simpson.     "  We  will  protect  you." 
"  I  should  say  we  would !  "    "  You  trust  us !  "    "  To 
the  death ! "  chorused  the  roisterers. 

"  I'll  collect  damages  from  him  for  your  death !  " 
said  Judge  Blodgett.  "  Whom  do  you  want  'em  paid 
to?" 

"  D'vide  the  boodle,"  said  the  boy,  "  among  my 
grandchildren  —  ekally.  Do  I  go  back  ?  " 

270 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

"  You  do,"  said  Simpson,  "  as  soon  as  another 
Exhibit  A  is  prepared." 

"  It's  ready,  most  noble  Potentate,"  said  Edging- 
ton  ritualistically. 

"  Then  let  the  messenger  depart.  Where's  that 
menu  I  had?  Hang  it,  you've  used  it  for  the  kid, 
and  it  had  my  remarks  on  it.  As  I  was  saying,  this 
is  Brassfield's  night.  Everybody  tells  a  story,  sings 
a  song  or  dances." 

Edgington  told  a  story  which  he  said,  was  "  on 
Brassfield,"  and  showed  what  r.  regular  devil  that 
gentleman  had  been.  It  seerr-  that  he  and 
"Brass"  were  at  one  time  fly-fishing  in  the  mo" "- 
tains,  and  Eugene  had  so  wrought  on  the  fancy  of 
the  schoolmistress  that  she  had  let  school  out  at  three, 
and  gone  to  learn  casting  of  Brassfield. 

"  And  when  they  came  to  the  house  at  supper- 
time,"  he  went  on,  "  the  whole  family  were  laying 
for  them.  *  Ketch  anything? '  said  the  old  lady, 
1  anythin'  more'n  a  bullhead  ? '  *  I  c'n  see,'  said  the 
hired  man,  *  that  she's  been  castin'  purty  hard,  by 
the  way  her  dress  is  kinder  pressed  around  the  waist. 
It  allers  fixes  mine  that  way ! ' 

And  so  on,  to  the  narration  of  the  outbreak  of 
hostilities  with  the  hired  man,  and  the  flight  of  Brass- 

271 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

field  and  Edgington.  At  every  point  Amidon 
winced,  as  he  got  views  of  Brassfield's  character 
which  hypnotism  could  not  yield,  and  the  assembly 
roared  the  louder  at  his  embarrassment. 

The  messenger  boy  returned  again  by  this  time, 
still  unsuccessful,  and  was  provided  with  a  bunch  of 
cannon  fire-crackers  to  be  exploded  in  Cox's  front 
yard  so  that  the  invitation  to  the  banquet  might  not 
be  overlooked.  Then  Slater  told  of  Mr.  Brassfield's 
adventures  at  the  Mardi  Gras,  the  story  consisting 
mostly  of  the  account  of  Eugene's  wonderful  series 
of  winnings  at  the  race  course,  where  he  adopted  the 
system  of  always  finding  what  horse  was  given  the 
longest  odds,  and  playing  him. 

"  Our  friend,"  said  Slater,  "  on  that  last  day,  was 
too  full  of  mint-juleps  and  enthusiasm  to  tell  the 
field  from  the  judges'  stand.  Said  he  never  saw  the 
judges'  stand  run  with  the  horses  before  (laughter)  ; 
thought  it  was  a  good  idea  —  judges  could  always 
tell  whether  the  riding  was  fair  (cheers);  and  put 
his  money  on  Azim  at  about  one  hundred  to  one; 
and  when  Azim  romped  in  a  winner,  they  stuffed  all 
his  pockets  full  of  money,  and  the  reporters  came 
with  cameras  to  get  shots  at  the  northern  millionaire 
who  had  such  a  thundering  run  of  luck,  and  you 

272 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

ought  to  have  seen  'Gene  when  he  saw  the  papers 
in  the  morning!  Had  to  take  him  to  Pass  Christian 
next  day.  It  was  too  strenuous  for  your  humble 
servant  at  New  Orleans.  All  the  sports  knew  him 
by  this  time,  and  wanted  to  run  into  him  so  as  to 
touch  him  for  luck,  and  'Gene  wanted  to  fight  every 
guy  that  touched  him,  and  about  half  the  time  was 
getting  accommodated  and  taking  second  money  in 
every  fight!"  (Great  laughter  and  applause.) 

Amidon  was  unable  to  tell  as  to  the  absolute  truth 
of  these  tales,  but  they  had  such  verisimilitude  that 
they  impressed  and  shocked  him.  He  was  doubly 
astounded  at  the  evident  enjoyment  with  which  they 
were  received  by  his  friends,  and  especially  at  the 
fact  of  the  hearty  and  unrestrained  manner  in  which 
Blodgett  and  even  Blatherwick  joined  in  the  ap- 
plause. Every  shot  from  the  quiver  of  horse-play 
(except  those  aimed  at  the  luckless  Cox)  seemed  di- 
rected at  him,  Amidon  the  dignified.  Here,  it 
seemed,  he  was  known  to  have  been  guilty  of  gam- 
bling, drunkenness  and  libertinism  —  the  three  vices 
that  he  most  detested.  His  face  burned  with  shame. 
How  had  Elizabeth  ever  cared  for  such  a  man  as 
that  villain  Brassfield?  Where  was  the  Sir  Galahad, 
or  Lancelot  either,  in  this  life?  He  must  somehow, 

373 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

some  time,  find  a  way  to  tell  her  that  it  was  Brass- 
field,  not  Amidon,  who  had  done  these  things,  and 
that  he,  Amidon,  reared  by  a  doting  mother  and 
cared  for  by  a  solicitous  sister,  and  all  his  life  the 
model  of  the  moral  town  of  Hazelhurst,  was  as  inno- 
cent of  these  things  as  she  was. 

These  thoughts  so  filled  his  mind  that  he  heard 
very  little  of  Judge  Blodgett's  dialect  story.  Pro- 
fessor Blatherwick  began  a  German  song  full  of 
trilled  r's,  achs  and  hochs ;  but  became  offended  at 
Bulliwinkle's  strident  "  How-de-do !  "  at  the  end  of 
the  first  stanza,  and  quit.  Whereupon  Bulliwinkle, 
for  the  first  time  sensing  the  fact  that  something  was 
wrong,  in  the  goodness  of  his  heart  began  singing, 
Dot's  How  Poor  Yacob  Found  It  Oudt,  in  seeming 
compliment  to  the  nationality  of  the  professor;  but, 
owing  to  the  subtlety  of  the  reasoning,  the  professor 
failed  to  take  it  as  such.  He  took  mortal  umbrage 
instead,  and  hurled  his  card  down  on  the  table  with 
a  bang,  at  which  Bulliwinkle  slipped  under  the  ma- 
hogany, 

"  Gently  as  a  skylark  settles  down 

Upon  the  clustered  treasures  of  her  nest." 

Meantime,  Mr.  Simpson  had  called  on  Mr.  Knaggs 

274 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

to  do  a  dance,  as  he  alleged  himself  unable  to  do 
anything  else.  Mr.  Knaggs  responded,  and  did 
pretty  well  considering  the  lateness  of  the  hour, 
but  insisted  that  he  ought  to  have  a  better  surface 
than  the  carpet.  Amidon  dimly  resented  as  an  im- 
propriety Mr.  Knaggs'  brilliant  proof  of  the  cor- 
rectness of  his  position  regarding  the  carpet,  by  a 
tumultuously  successful  clog-dance  on  the  table. 

By  this  time,  it  being  past  the  hour  for  retiring, 
according  to  the  habit  of  most,  several  of  the  guests 
were  asleep,  and  most  of  the  rest  were  indulging  in 
monologues  under  the  impression  that  they  were  con- 
versing with  their  neighbors.  Edgington  was  on 
his  feet  proposing  a  series  of  interrogatories  in  strict- 
ly legal  form  requiring  Amidon  to  say  how  he  got 
the  support  of  Barney  Conlon,  what  there  was  in  his 
labor  record  to  win  the  support  of  Sheehan  and  Za- 
linsky,  and  various  other  matters.  At  Alvord's  re- 
quest, Judge  Blodgett  was  moving  that  these  be 
"  struck  out,"  while  Slater  insisted  that  it  ought  to 
be  a  "  base  on  balls."  It  was  a  new  experience  for 
Amidon.  He  was  surprised  to  find  a  something  in  it 
which  he  enjoyed.  The  very  hubbub  was  interest- 
ing. 

No  wonder,  such  being  the  conditions,  that  the 
275 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

A.  D.  T.  boy  rapped  long  and  was  not  heard.  No 
wonder  that  the  ultimate  opening  of  the  door  was 
unnoted  by  those  present,  or  that  no  one  observed 
the  tall  man  with  whisker  extensions  to  a  mustache 
naturally  too  large,  who  came  in  after  the  messenger. 
Observed  or  not,  however,  he  entered  and  walked 
heavily  down  the  banqueting-hall. 

"  Brassfield,  a  summons  for  you,"  said  he  fiercely. 
"  Here's  the  copy ;  this  is  the  'rig'nal.  Waive  the 
readin',  I  s'pose?  Sorry  to  interrupt.  So  long." 

Amidon  looked  at  the  stiff  document  as  if  it  had 
been  a  Gila  monster  on  toast.  He  saw  such  words  as 
"  State  of  Pennsylvania,  County  of  Rockoil,  ss," 
and  "  Default  will  be  taken  against  you,  and  judg- 
ment rendered  thereon,"  and  sundry  dates  and  fig- 
ures. Instinctively  he  turned  to  Judge  Blodgett, 
saying : 

"  What's  this,  Blodgett?  " 

A  tremor  of  panic  seized  on  Amidon,  and  a 
wave  of  sobriety  passed  over  the  guests.  Much  the 
same  thing  must  have  marked  the  breaking  up  of 
the  feast  of  Belshazzar.  The  roisterers  gazed  at  the 
paper,  or  began  their  preparations  for  departure. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Amidon. 

"  I  don't  know  enough  about  the  practice  here," 
276 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

said  the  judge  slowly,  "  to  be  able  to  say  whether 
it's  good  or  not  —  seems  to  have  been  hastily  and 
rather  slovenly  gotten  up " 

"  But  what  is  the  damned  thing?  "  shouted  Alvord ; 
"  cut  it  short  and  tell  us." 

"  Seems  perfectly  regular,  though,"  went  on  the 
judge  deliberately.  "  It's  a  summons  in  the  case  of 
Daisy  Scarlett  versus  Eugene  Brassfield  in  a  suit  for 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for  breach  of  promise  of 
marriage." 

Amidon  sank  back  in  a  collapse  which  was  almost 
a  faint.  The  little  nervous  Alvord  rose  to  com- 
mand. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  standing  in  his  place,  "  I  want  to 
say  a  few  words  before  a  man  leaves  this  room.  I 
know  something  of  this  case,  and  I  want  you  to  take 
my  word  that  there's  no  more  foundation  for  it  than 
there  would  be  if  it  were  brought  against  any  one  of 
us.  And  furthermore,  there  must  be  nothing  said 
about  this.  These  papers  are  not  on  record  yet,  and 
I  believe  something  can  be  done.  Why,  confound  it, 
something  shall  be  done!  Every  man  must  pledge 
me  his  word  that  he  won't  breathe  a  word  of  this,  and 
will  deny  it  if  asked  about  it." 

"  We  promise !  "  came  the  unanimous  shout. 
277 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Alvord  walked  toward  the  guest  of  honor,  trip- 
ping over  the  legs  of  Bulliwinkle  as  he  went,  and 
offered  his  hand  to  Amidon. 

"  I  say,  old  man,  I  warned  you  that  you  were 
carrying  on  a  little  strong ;  and  now  here's  a —  " 

"  How-de-do !  "  said  Bulliwinkle. 

In  vino  veritas!  Truly,  most  bibulous  Bulliwin- 
kle, thou  hast  supplied  the  very  word  to  convey  the 
meaning  for  which  we  at  this  moment  desire  expres- 
sion! Here's  a  how-de-do  indeed!  Just  as  our 
friend  Amidon  has  made  a  successful  lodgment  in  the 
outworks  of  Fort  Waldron  —  a  citadel  which  he  had 
taken  by  stratagem,  abandoned  for  conscience'  sake, 
and  re-invested  on  lines  of  fairer  warfare,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  investment  of  the  mayoralty  —  the  hope 
of  victory  is  swallowed  up  in  a  sea  of  disasters.  The 
meeting  on  the  stairway,  the  repudiation  of  Mrs. 
Hunter,  the  arrested  flirtation  in  the  east  room:  all 
these  —  any  of  these  —  were  enough :  but  what  hope 
for  us  remains,  after  this  sensational  summons,  served 
in  the  small  hours  of  a  bacchanalian  revel,  in  a 
breach-of-promise  action  at  the  suit  of  the  dread- 
ful "  Strawberry  Blonde "  ?  Verily,  Bulliwinkle, 
here  is  indeed  a  how-de-do! 

"  Old  man,"  said  Mr.  Alvord,  in  private  commun- 
278 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

ication  to  Mr.  Amidon  at  parting,  "we're  none  of 
us  in  condition  to  discuss  this  calmly  now;  but  don't 
give  up.  It's  a  blow,  but  with  our  pull  with  the 
press,  and  our  personal  relations  with  Cox,  can  be 
squelched,  I  believe.  Until  after  election  — 

"Until   when?"    asked   Amidon   dazedly. 

"  After  election,"  answered  Alvord.  "  After  that, 
while  it  will  be  a  blow,  of  course,  it  won't  wreck 
things  quite  so  completely,  you  know.  And  even 
if  it  does  sort  of  leak  out,  it's  one  of  those  mix-ups 
that  lots  of  voters  '11  rather  admire  you  for,  you 
know.  It  may  react  in  your  favor,  if  we  can 

"  Mr.  Alvord,"  said  Amidon,  "  please  to  under- 
stand that  I  don't  care  a  rush,  one  way  or  the  other, 
about  this  election !  " 

"  Now,  now,  don't  say  that ! "  said  Alvord  sooth- 
ingly. "  I  can  see  how  you  feel,  'Gene  —  pride,  and 
affection,  and  Bessie,  and  the  wedding  coming  on  — 
but,  pshaw,  we  lots  of  us  have  things  kind  of  tangle 
up  on  us  coming  in  on  the  home  stretch  of  a  pretty 
swift  heat!  Go  home,  and  don't  worry  too  much. 
I'm  with  you,  and  we'll  win.  F.  D.  and  B.,  you 
know.  Keep  the  other  strings  pulling  right  —  it's 
only  a  day  or  so  now.  Good  night,  old  man,  and 
brace  up !  See  you  to-morrow." 

279 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

One  rather  likes  the  optimistic  fighter  —  purely 
as  a  fighter  —  of  the  Alvord  stripe.  He  was  so 
occupied  with  plans  for  the  next  day's  battle  that 
the  dubious  features  of  the  contest  were  already 
clearing  up  in  his  mind  with  the  forming  of  plans 
for  attacking  the  situation.  A  few  hours  of  sleep, 
and  he  was  up  and  at  them.  His  telephone  called 
up  the  editors  of  the  town  with  the  morning  star. 
Long  before  the  enemy  could  have  known  of  the 
breach  in  his  works,  his  trusty  troops  were  busy 
filling  it  up.  He  was  almost  happy  again,  when 
Edgington  rushed  into  his  presence  with  a  newspa- 
per crushed  in  his  clenched  fist,  and  all  sorts  of  dis- 
aster depicted  in  his  expression. 

"  Jim,"  he  cried,  "  have  you  seen  this  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  Alvord.  "  It  ain't  that  Scarlett 
business?  I  thought  I'd  got  that " 

"  No,  no!  It  isn't  that ! "  groaned  Edgington. 
"  But  we're  done,  all  the  same !  Done  to  a  finish ! 
You  might  as  well  close  the  headquarters  and  go 
home,  for  if  we  win,  on  this  platform,  we  lose,  and 
all  the  money  we've  put  in  is  lost!  I  tell  you,  Jim, 
'Gene  Brassfield  is  either  insane  —  and  I  believe  it's 
that  —  or  he's  the  damnedest  traitor  and  sneak  and 
two-faced  hound  that  ever  stepped,  and  I'll  have  it 

280 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

out  with  him!  Some  way,  if  I  wait  ten  years,  I'll 
have  it  out  with  him,  if  I  have  to  do  it  with  a  gun! 
His  business  leaves  my  office  at  once.  Why,  there 
aren't  words  fit  for  me  to  use,  to  describe  the  miser- 
able, false,  lying " 

"  See  here,  Edge ! "  said  Alvord.  "  We  may  be 
done,  as  you  say,  but  Eugene  Brassfield  has  made 
you,  and  he's  my  friend,  and  you'd  better  not  go 
on  like  that,  here!  Let  me  see  that  paper!" 

Edgington  threw  it  to  him.  In  heavy  type  he 
saw  the  fateful  platform  summarized  in  a  black-bor- 
dered panel  on  the  first  page: 


BRASSFIELD'S  PLATFORM 

1.  Strict  enforcement  of  early  closing  reg- 
ulations for  saloons. 

2.  No  franchises  except  on  public  bidding, 
and    ample  provision   for   subsequent  acqui- 
sition by  the  city. 

3.  Gambling  laws  to  be  strictly  enforced. 

4.  Segregation  of  vice. 

5.  Vote    of    the    people    on    all    important 
measures. 

6.  Appointments  non-partizan  on  the  merit 
system. 

7.  Publication  of  all  items  of  campaign  ex- 
penses. 


Alvord  fell  back  in  utter  dismay.     Then  he  read 
281 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

in  full  the  manifesto  which  Amidon  and  Elizabeth 
had  prepared;  and,  folding  up  the  paper,  he  stuck 
it  in  a  drawer,  which  he  locked,  as  if  thereby  to  seal 
up  the  direful  news.  For  a  moment  he  felt  betrayed 
and  utterly  defeated.  Then  he  straightened  himself 
for  a  resumption  of  the  battle. 

"  See  here,  Edge,"  he  said  insinuatingly,  "  this  is 
pretty  bad,  I  admit.  I  think,  myself,  that  Brass 
is  off  his  head.  He  'phoned  me  once  about  this,  but 
he's  such  a  josher,  and  it  was  such  wild-eyed  lunacy 
that  I  thought  he  was  kidding.  You'd  have  thought 
so,  too,  in  my  place.  But  we  can  pull  through  yet. 
We  can  convince  the  sports  that  this  high-moral  bus- 
iness is  only  for  the  church  people,  and  the  civic 
purity  push.  Why,  Brassfield  himself  couldn't  make 
Fatty  Pierson  believe  he  stands  for  this  stuff.  It's 
so  out  of  reason, —  the  safe  and  sane  life  he's  lived. 
And  I'll  undertake  to  keep  the  God-and-morality 
folks  lined  up,  because  these  are  really  the  things  they 
say  they  want.  This  ain't  going  to  be  so  very  bad, 
after  all,  Edge!" 

"Bad!"  ejaculated  Edgington.  "Why,  Alvord, 
you're  so  wrapped  up  in  Brassfield  that  you're  ready 
to  go  crazy  with  him ! " 

"  Well,  I  want  to  say  right  here,"  shouted  Alvord, 
282 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

"  that  if  you  think  I'm  going  to  quit  on  a  man  I've 
eaten  with  and  slept  with  and  sworn  to  stay  by  — 
By  gad,  I  won't !  " 

"  Well,  stay  by  him,  then ! "  cried  Edgington. 
"Go  on  and  butt  your  brains  out  on  this  stone  wall 
of  isms,  and  see  where  you  come  out.  You're  al- 
ready beaten.  The  other  side  knew  about  this  last 
night,  and  you'll  be  blown  out  of  water  before  to- 
morrow morning.  Doctor  Bulkon  and  his  crowd  are 
already  lined  up  against  you:  the  doctor  will  take 
the  position  that  Brassfield's  proposal  to  segregate 
vie?  is  a  compromise  with  sin,  and  that  that's  the 
paramount  issue.  Why,  Pumphrey  and  Johnson 
and  the  Williams  set  are  all  among  his  best-paying 
parishioners,  and  they've  put  the  screws  to  Bulkon 
— who  doesn't  see  the  point,  anyhow.  I  tell  you  that 
there  are  too  many  pillars  of  the  church  with  down- 
town property  to  rent,  for  you  to  keep  either  them 
or  their  pastors  in  line.  They'll  find  moral  issues 
to  fight  the  ten  commandments  on,  if  they  have  to. 
You  ought  to  know  this,  Jim." 

"  Well,"  said  Alvord,  "  let  the  Pharisees  oppose 
us!  I'll  appeal  to  the  liberal  element.  I'll  con- 
vince 'em  that  Brassfield  don't  mean  this  stuff. 
They  like  him,  and  they'll  stick ! " 

283 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  Stick !  "  sneered  Edgington,  "  Like  him !  You 
make  me  tired,  Jim !  How  long  will  they  '  stick ' 
against  the  influence  of  their  landlords  and  bank- 
ers? Why,  they've  all  read  this  platform,  and  the 
story  has  gone  down  the  line  that  Brassfield  is  so 
infatuated  with  Miss  Waldron  that  he's  allowing 
her  to  write  his  platform,  and  that  she'll  be  the 
mayor.  Don't  you  think  that  that  won't  cut  the 
ground  from  under  you,  either!  A  saloon  man  or 
gambler  fears  a  good  woman's  influence  as  a  wolf 
fears  fire.  Why,  Jim,  when  this  'advanced  thought' 
platform  of  yours  comes  to  be  voted  on,  there  won't 
be  any  one  for  it  except  thick-and-thin  party  men 
who  'never  scratch.'  Now  I'm  not  going  down  with 
any  such  sinking  scow.  I  shall  make  terms  for  my 
financial  interests  with  the  other  side." 

"  Go,  then ! "  shouted  Alvord,  "  and  find  you've 
hopped  out  of  the  frying  pan  into  the  fire!  By 
George,  I  tell  you  we've  got  the  money  to  buy  this 
election ! " 

"  Oh !  "  said  Edgington,  "  have  you !  And  how 
about  your  publishing  an  itemized  account  of  cam- 
paign expenses  ?  " 

Alvord,  his  last  card  played,  fell  back  beaten, 
every  vestige  of  optimistic  pugnacity  gone  from  his 

284 


A  REVIVAL  OF  BELSHAZZAR 

face.  Edgington  laid  his  hand  on  the  other's  shoul- 
der, in  sympathy. 

"  I  tell  you,  Jim,"  said  he,  as  he  departed,  "  this 
is  no  place  nor  time  to  run  a  reform  campaign. 
Brassfield  isn't  the  candidate  for  it,  and  you're  not 
the  manager.  You're  simply  fish  trying  to  fly. 
Come  with  me  and  we'll  get  into  our  natural  ele- 
ment." 

"  Not  by  a  good  deal,"  said  Alvord  stubbornly. 
"  I  don't  know  anything  in  this  but  Brassfield,  and 
to  him  I'll  stick!" 

"  As  you  please,"  said  Edgington.  "  But  keep 
the  lid  on  the  Scarlett  business ! " 

Alvord  made  no  reply.  But  when  Edgington 
was  gone  he  took  up  his  work  with  a  groan  of  real 
distress. 


285 


XXIII 

THE    MOVING    FINGER    WRITES 

To  the  Queen  came  the  guard  full  of  zeal: 

Haled  in  bonds  the  Pretender: 
"  Shall  it  be  noose  or  knout,  rack  or  wheel  ? " 

But  her  proud  face  grew  tender. 
Down  she  stepped  from  her  throne  —  made  him  free: 

"  Love,"  she  said,  with  a  sigh, 
"What  is  rank?    You  are  you,  we  are  we, 
I  am  I!" 

—  The  Cheating  of  Zenobia. 

I  should  like  to  write,  just  here,  a  little  disquisi- 
tion on  Crises.  I  should  show  how  all  nature  moves 
ever  on  and  on  toward  certain  cataclysmic  events, 
each  of  which  marks  a  point  of  departure  for  new 
ascents  in  progression.  I  should  begin,  of  course, 
with  the  Nebular  Hypothesis,  its  crash  of  suns,  fol- 
lowed by  the  evolution  of  the  star  and  its  system  of 
planets,  its  life,  cooling,  death,  and  a  fresh  crisis 
forming  a  new  nebula.  I  should  end  with  either 
Revolutions  or  Malaria,  depending  on  whether  I 
should  last  consider  the  subject  in  its  relation  to  so- 
ciology or  to  pathology;  but  in  any  case,  somewhere 

along  in  the  latter  third  of  the  work,  I  should  treat 
•       286 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

of  Love  and  Marriage,  and  therein  of  the  Crisis  and 
Catastrophe  in  Romance. 

I  have  a  good  mind  to  do  it ! 

But,  no;  crises  in  general  must  wait,  seeing  that 
our  particular  one  stands  clamoring  for  solution. 
The  concrete  bids  away  with  the  abstraction.  None 
of  our  friends  of  this  history  could  be  brought  just 
now,  for  a  single  moment,  to  seek  solace  in  philoso- 
phy, unless  it  might  be  Professor  Blatherwick  — 
and  he  is  entirely  oblivious  of  the  fact  of  the  crisis 
having  made  its  appearance. 

Not  so,  for  instance,  with  the  professor's  extra- 
ordinary daughter,  whose  feelings  were  so  lacerated 
by  the  culminating  proof  of  the  fickleness  of  Brass- 
field  at  the  Pumphreys'  reception  that  she  wondered 
how  she  could  ever  have  thought  of  keeping  him 
in  that  perfidious  plane  of  consciousness  in  the  hope 
that  therein  he  would  cleave  to  her  only.  Better  a 
good  friend  in  Amidon,  said  she,  than  a  false  lover 
in  Brassfield.  Howbeit,  she  isolated  herself  and 
mourned,  thinking  much  of  the  wrong  her  deed  of 
the  reception  had  done  to  Amidon,  and  wondering 
how  it  might  be  remedied. 

Nor  with  Mr.  Amidon,  who,  while  ignorant  of  the 
full  extent  of  his  misfortune  in  the  eyes  of  Elizabeth, 

287 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

yet  knew  that  he  was  deep,  deep  in  disgrace  with 
her,  and  found  so  many  plausible  reasons  for  it  that 
the  episode  at  the  reception  seemed  the  least  of  them. 
He  knew  enough  of  Brassfield  to  believe  him  guilty 
on  any  charge  which  might  be  brought  against  him. 
The  only  doubt  he  allowed  himself  was  as  to  how 
far  he,  Florian  Amidon,  was  morally  responsible  for 
Brassfield's  wrong-doings.  He  had  no  doubt  that 
Miss  Scarlett  had  a  real  grievance  against  Brass- 
field,  and,  in  an  extremity  of  woe,  made  up  his  mind 
that  Amidon  must  hold  himself  to  the  sorry  trade  of 
answering  a  debt  he  never  contracted.  He  knew 
from  a  brief  interview  with  Alvord  that  the  political 
situation  was  bad,  but  for  this  he  had  scarcely  a 
thought  since  the  tragic  breaking-up  of  their  little 
Belshazzar's  Feast.  It  was  his  relations  with  Miss 
Waldron  and  Miss  Scarlett  which  placed  him  be- 
yond the  reach  of  philosophy. 

So  also  is  Judge  Blodgett,  who  has  been  busy  since 
the  banquet,  some  of  the  time  with  a  towel  about  his 
brow,  searching  through  Edgington's  library,  to 
which  his  connection  with  the  Bunn's  Ferry  well  case 
gave  him  the  entree,  for  the  law  of  breach  of  prom- 
ise of  marriage  as  defined  by  the  Pennsylvania  deci- 
sions. Edgington  himself  was  apparently  always 

288 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

from  his  office.  Blodgett's  call  on  Fuller  and  Cox 
was  most  unsatisfactory,  Mr.  Fuller  with  some  acerb- 
ity disclaiming  all  knowledge  of  any  such  case  as 
Scarlett  versus  Brassfield,  and  Mr.  Cox  being  invisi- 
ble. 

"  They  act,"  said  he  to  Florian,  "  like  people  who 
are  out  for  revenge,  or  a  vindication,  or  something  be- 
sides money.  I  don't  consider  their  attitude  favor- 
able to  a  compromise." 

"  Well,"  said  Amidon,  "  that  does  not  surprise  me 
at  all." 

"  It  doesn't,  eh?  "  went  on  the  judge.  "  Well,  I 
can't  say  that  anything  surprises  me;  though  I  was 
a  little  taken  off  my  feet  by  a  rumor  that  some- 
thing took  place  between  you  and  the  plaintiff  at 
that  party  the  other  night.  How  was  that?  " 

"  There  may  have  been  something,"  said  Amidon 
calmly,  "  but  you  must  get  particulars  from  some  one 
else  —  Clara,  perhaps.  You  see,  she  was  giving 
tests,  and  put  me  into  that  —  Brassfield  state,  (why, 
I  can't  understand) — and  I  don't  know  what  oc- 
curred; but  there  was  something." 

"  I'd  like  to  know  about  that,"  said  the  judge  con- 
templatively, "  I'd  like  to  know.  That  stairway  epi- 
sode —  that  collision,  you  remember  —  may  not 

289 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

count  for  much  on  the  trial;  but  with  a  few  corrob- 
orative circumstances,  eh,  my  boy?  Farmer  jury; 
pretty  girl;  blighted  affection;  damned  villain,  you 
know.  But  say !  she's  got  something  to  prove  if  she 
wins,  under  the  authorities  here,  and  there  are  more 
cases  in  this  state  than  there  ought  to  be  in  the 
whole  world;  but  a  summer-resort  engagement,  girl 
of  mature  years,  a  little  bit  swift  down  the  quarter- 
stretch  and  all  that  —  cheer  up,  Florian,  we'll  win, 

or  we'll  make  it  a  great  case " 

"  Blodgett,"  answered  Amidon,  who  heard  with 
horror  the  lawyer's  forecast  of  the  trial,  "  she  may 
not  have  to  prove  anything.  There  may  not  be  any 
trial.  I  must  know  these  facts !  I  may  owe  her  rep- 
aration. I  may  —  anything !  I  must  know ;  and 
no  one  but  Madame  le  Claire  can  help  us,  and  she 
must  act  through  that  accursed  scoundrel  who  has 
got  us  into  all  this  —  Brassfield !  Go  to  her,  Blod- 
gett, and  tell  her  that  she  must  see  us.  I  have  asked 
for  an  interview  a  dozen  times  since  that  reception 
but  she  won't  see  any  one.  Get  an  interview  for  this 
afternoon;  and  you  must  be  present  and  hear  her 
bring  out  of  him  a  full  confession ;  not  as  my  attor- 
ney, but  as  my  friend,  as  a  gentleman.  If  you  find 

out  the  worst,  as  I  believe,  I  shall  offer " 

290 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

Judge  Blodgett  gave  Amidon's  hand  a  warm 
grasp. 

"  That's  like  you,  Florian,"  he  exclaimed,  "  and 
it's  the  part  of  a  man !  But  I'd  see  her  in  Halifax 
first!  Why,  you  may  be  called  to  give  up  —  have 
you  considered  —  Miss  Wald " 

"  No  no !  "  said  Amidon,  "  that  —  she  is  no  longer 
a  factor  in  the  case.  It's  all  over  with  her  anyhow, 

if I  can't  talk  of  that ;  but  can't  you  see  that 

this  other  matter  must  be  cleared  up  —  before  I 
can  even  come  into  her  presence  ?  Can't  you  see 


"  I'll  see  the  madame,"  said  the  judge.  "  Yes — 
I'll  see  her!  I'll  see  her  at  once.  I  guess  you're 
right  about  it,  Florian." 

Madame  le  Claire  was  keenly  conscious  of  the  con- 
verging lines  of  fate,  the  meeting  of  which  was  so 
rich  in  baleful  promise.  She  was  prostrated  at  the 
result  of  her  work  at  the  reception.  She  had  seen 
Florian  in  a  position  of  utter  humiliation.  She  had 
observed  the  gray  pallor  in  Elizabeth's  face  as  she 
walked  from  the  room,  and  felt  on  her  conscience  the 
murder  of  their  happiness.  She  had  seen  —  and  this 
hurt  her  more  than  she  would  to  herself  admit  —  she 
had  seen  Brassfield  walk  from  a  whispered  convex 

291 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

sation  with  herself  —  an  amorous,  wooing  conver- 
sation —  to  a  secret  meeting  with  Daisy  Scarlett ; 
so  that  she  felt  despoiled  of  the  hold  she  had  had 
on  the  affections  of  even  Amidon's  false  second 
self,  Brassfield.  For  all  this  she  blamed  herself  be- 
cause of  the  little  jealous  spite,  to  gratify  which 
she  had  made  Brassfield  walk  his  disastrous  hour 
on  the  stage.  What  should  she  do?  What  could 
she  do?  She  secluded  herself  and  pondered.  On 
this  second  day,  she  made  her  resolve:  she  would  see 
Miss  Waldron,  and  if  possible  explain  as  much  of 
the  mystery  as  might  serve  to  satisfy  her  with  ref- 
erence to  the  affair  of  the  East  Room.  Accordingly, 
a  note  went  up  to  the  house  with  the  white  columns, 
asking  for  a  meeting.  And  as  the  messenger  de- 
parted, the  card  of  Judge  Blodgett  came  in. 

"  No !  "  said  Madame  le  Claire,  to  his  request,  "  no, 
I  must  be  excused !  I  can  not  conscientiously  put  him 
in  that  state  again.  If  you  could  have  seen  him 
when  last " 

"  Exactly ! "  said  the  judge,  filling  in  the  pause. 
<:  And  as  I  didn't  see  that  reception  affair,  you  must 
tell  me  about  it.  It's  important  for  me  to  know." 

When  he  had  been  told,  the  judge  walked  back 
and  forth  in  evident  perturbation,  fingering  over  the 

292 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

leaves  of  a  little  square  book  which  he  took  from  his 
pocket. 

"  Did  you  ever,"  said  he  at  last,  "  happen  to  hear 
what  was  the  rule  laid  down  in  the  breach  of  prom- 
ise case  of  Hall  versus  Maguire?  " 

"Breach  of  promise!"  ejaculated  the  young  wo- 
man, inferring  a  volume  from  the  words.  "  What 
do  you  mean?" 

"  These  facts  of  which  you  inform  me,"  said  he, 
"  bring  Mr.  Amidon's  case  within  the  rule  in  Hall 
versus  Maguire,  square  as  a  die!  Oh,  I  forgot  to 
tell  you!  Mr.  Amidon,  doing  business  under  the 
name  and  style  of  Eugene  Brassfield,  has  been  sued 
by  Miss  Daisy  Scarlett,  for  breach  of  promise.  No 
publicity,  as  yet,  but " 

"  Oh,  it  must  be  stopped !  "  exclaimed  the  occultist ; 
"  it  shall  be  stopped !  He  is  not  guilty.  He  was 
irresponsible  —  ask  papa  about  it;  he  will  tell  you 
so.  This  girl  is  coming  to  see  me  here  to-day:  I'll 
tell  her  how  wrong " 

"  No,  no,  my  dear! "  said  the  judge  in  a -fatherly 
manner.  "  That  would  never  do,  never !  You  may 
have  given  a  hint  as  to  this  matter  of  irresponsibility, 
worth  considering.  Promise  of  marriage  —  civil 
contract;  abnormal  state  —  irresponsibility:  it  looks 
,  293 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

pretty  well!  You  should  have  been  a  lawyer.  But 
this  thing  of  having  dealings  with  Miss  Scarlett 
except  in  the  presence  of  and  through  her  legal  ad- 
visers, Messrs.  Fuller  and  Cox  —  not  for  a  moment 
to  be  thought  of  by  an  honorable  practitioner:  not 
for  a  moment !  " 

Madame  le  Claire  regarded  him  with  a  lofty  scorn 
meant  for  these  antiquated  scruples  of  his;  but  be- 
fore she  could  find  words,  the  knock  of  the  bell-boy 
called  her  attention  to  the  door. 

"  Miss  Waldron  is  below !  "  said  she.  "  Judge,  you 
may  bring  Mr.  Amidon  up  in  half  an  hour.  I  shall 
then  be  at  liberty,  and  may  grant  his  request. 
Please  leave  me,  now;  I  have  asked  Miss  Waldron 
to  be  shown  up,  and  must  see  her  alone." 

Elizabeth  Waldron,  in  this  plexus  of  disasters, 
found  nowhere  a  gleam  of  comfort.  Her  fine 
chagrin  at  the  thought  of  such  things  as  she  feared 
might  be  censurable  as  overfree  self-revelation  to 
her  lover  in  such  things  as  letters  and  the  sweet  con- 
cessions of  the  new  betrothal  —  all  this  was  past, 
now.  Tragedy  has  this  of  comfort  in  it:  its  fate- 
ful lightnings  burn  out  of  the  atmosphere  of  life  all 
the  noisome  littlenesses  which  have  seemed  worthy  of 

294 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

concern.  So  it  was  with  Elizabeth,  as  she  now  faced 
the  very  annihilation  of  all  for  .vhich  she  had  lived 
—  centered  in  that  "  perfect  lover,"  who  was  now 
worse  than  annihilated  in  this  descent  to  a  plane 
which  made  every  act  of  homage  to  her  so  mean  and 
common  that  she  would  have  felt  his  status  uplifted 
by  some  proof  of  great  guilt  on  his  part.  And  she 
could  see  no  way  of  acquitting  him.  There  was 
mystery  in  it,  but  no  exculpation.  Mystery 

With  the  idea  of  mystery  came  in  the  image  cf 
the  strange  girl  with  the  fascinating  glance  and  the 
party-colored  hair.  Could  it  be  possi1  le  that  the 
occult  power  possessed  by  her  might  somehow  fur- 
nish an  explanation  of  her  lover's  strangely  base  be- 
havior? More  and  more  did  this  fixed  thought  en- 
gross her  mind.  She  felt  that  she  must  know  — 
must  see  this  woman  and  her  colorless  father.  De- 
sire grew  to  resolve;  resolve  bred  inquiry  as  to  ways 
of  compassing  an  interview;  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
inquiry,  came  Madame  le  Claire's  messenger.  Her 
answer  was  the  putting  on  of  her  cloak  for  a  visit 
to  the  occultist's  parlors. 

The  two  women  faced  each  other  like  hostile  cham- 
pions in  a  truce.  Elizabeth's  first  aversion  to  the 
other  had  been  swept  away  in  the  flood  of  righteous 

295 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

jealousy  created  by  the  Scarlett  episode.  Madame 
le  Claire's  unreasoning  feeling  of  injury  had  been 
mitigated  by  the  same  baleful  affair,  and  her 
sense  of  justice  fought  for  Elizabeth;  but  no  two 
women  loving  the  same  man  ever  met  without  antago- 
nism. 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  Miss  Waldron,  "  for  this  in- 
vitation. I  think  you  owe  me  the  benefit  of  such 
light  as  you  can  give  on  some  —  some  things  — 
which  are  dark  to  me." 

A  little  angry  flush  rose  to  Madame  le  Claire's 
cheek  at  the  tone  in  which  the  first  part  of  this  speech 
was  uttered.  It  passed  away,  and  was  replaced  by 
a  gentler  expression  at  the  doleful  and  faltering  con- 
clusion. 

"  I  owe  you,"  she  answered,  "  more  in  the  way  of 
knowledge  than  you  imagine.  I  expect  other  visi- 
tors. Will  you  step  into  this  little  rear  room?  I 
may  be  called  away  from  you  for  a  while,  but  I 
shall  return." 

"  I  need  not  tell  you,"  said  Elizabeth,  "  how  vi- 
tally important  it  is  to  me  to  know  whether  there 
was  anything  in  your  mesmeric  influence  over — Mr. 
Brassfield  —  which  would  cause  him  to  do  —  things 
unworthy  of  him  —  as  he  did.  Did  you  impose  any 

296 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

such  thing  on  him  by  your  power?  —  could  you  have 
been  so  cruel  ?  " 

"  Before  I  answer  that,"  replied  Clara,  "  there  are 
many  things  to  tell.  When  did  you  first  meet  Mr. 
Amidon  —  Brassfield,  I  mean?  " 

"  Why  do  you  call  him  by  that  name  ?  "  cried  Eliz- 
abeth. "  That  is  what  Mrs.  Hunter  called  him ! 
One  moment  he  told  me  he  knew  her;  the  next,  he 
denied  it  to  her  face.  What  is  there  in  this  matter 
of  names?  " 

Madame  le  Claire  looked  with  a  fixed  and  unwav- 
ering calmness  at  Miss  Waldron,  and  answered  in 
a  tone  of  perfect  reassurance. 

"  There  is  nothing  in  it  which  can't  be  easily  ex- 
plained. You  have  known  Mr.  Brassfield  a  long 
time?" 

"  Since  I  was  seventeen.  He  did  my  aunt  and 
me  a  great  favor,  which  lifted  us  out  of  poverty  — 
about  some  land  we  had,  and  oil  discoveries  —  I  went 
away  soon  after  this,  but  he  has  always  been  very 
kind  and  good  —  until  —  until  this 

Elizabeth  walked  to  the  window  and  looked  out 
for  a  long  time,  during  which  Madame  le  Claire  re- 
garded her  fixedly  and  tried  not  to  hate  her. 

"  Did  he  tell  you  much  of  his  past  ?  " 
297 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  No,  he  said  it  was  a  very  ordinary  past,  and 
that  he  would  tell  us  all  about  it  some  time ;  and  then 
the  subject  never  came  up  again.  I  never  really 
cared !  " 

"  Let  me  tell  it  to  you,"  said  Madame  le  Claire. 
"  He  was,  all  his  life,  a  man  of  wealth  and  standing. 
He  was  a  scholar  and  a  student  of  the  fine  arts  and 
letters.  He  was  the  pride  of  his  town  and  his  univer- 
sity. Then,  all  at  once,  nearly  six  years  ago,  came 
on  him  one  of  those  strange  experiences  of  which 
I,  through  my  profession,  am  able  to  speak  to  you 
as  one  having  knowledge.  He  became  another  man. 
His  mind  had  drawn  across  it  a  dead  line  cutting 
off  everything  back  of  a  certain  date.  He  did  not 
tell  you  of  his  life,  because  he  did  not  remember  it 
himself." 

Elizabeth  gasped,  and  turned  pale. 

"  This  life  of  his "  she  began. 

" —  was  a  life  which  was  in  every  way  better  — 
which  will  add  to  your  pride  in  him.  But  you  must 
be  prepared  for  some  strange  and  unexpected  things. 
Now,  for  instance,  a  name  —  a  name  seems  important ; 
but  what  is  it?  This  loss  of  personality  —  of  self- 
consciousness  relating  to  the  past  —  it  was  loss  of 
name,  of  mode  of  life,  of  all  memory,  except  certain 

298 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

blind,  unconscious  reflexes,  in  which  the  brain  had  no 
part.  How  the  name  of  Brassfield  was  suggested  to 
this  new-born  personality  of  his,  no  one  can  tell,  he 
least  of  all.  But " 

"  Then  his  name  —  his  name  is  —  is  not " 

Now  here  was  a  situation  for  a  diplomat.  To 
say  that  Brassfield  was  an  assumed  name,  an  alias, 
was  to  shock  the  girl's  womanish  conservatism  to  its 
very  base.  Madame  le  Claire  proved  herself  a  diplo- 
mat. 

"  Why,"  said  she,  as  if  the  matter  were,  after  all, 
of  no  importance,  "  the  name  of  Brassfield  is  his, 
legally,  Judge  Blodgett  says,  and  morally.  These 
business  names,  as  distinguished  from  others,  are 
quite  common  now,  I  am  told  —  take  mine,  for  in- 
stance. Eugene  Brassfield  was  not  his  name  until 
five  years  ago,  when  this  happened.  He  is  really 
Florian  Amidon,  son  of  the  chemist  Wilford  Ami- 
don,  of  whom,  I  have  no  doubt,  you  have  read." 

The  fact  that  the  name  of  Wilford  Amidon  had 
never  reached  her  ears,  did  not  occur  to  Elizabeth. 
Madame  le  Claire's  choice  of  expression  sounded  like 
the  announcement  that  Florian  was  a  prince  just 
throwing  off  his  incognito.  The  subtle  sophistry  of 
this  way  of  putting  it  found  grateful  harborage  in 

£99 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

Elizabeth's  hungry  soul.  For  a  moment  she  felt 
comforted.  Then  came  back  the  thought  that,  after 
all,  she  had  found  out  nothing  of  the  matters  she  had 
come  to  search  out. 

"  It  is  very  strange,"  said  she,  "  but,  after  all, 
it  only  adds  to  the  mystery.  Why  did  he  do  those 
things?  Did  you  make  him  do  them?  And  why 
did  he  say  that  he  knew  Mrs.  Hunter,  and  then  deny 
it?  And  if  he  knew  about  his  past  when  he  said 
he  knew  her,  did  he  not  know  it  as  well  afterward? 
I  can  not  be  blinded  to  these  matters  by  a  statement 
of  things  merely  mysterious  and  strange.  I  must 
have " 

"  My  friend,"  said  Madame  le  Claire,  "  all  these 
things  will  be  explained,  trust  me.  The  person  tap- 
ping at  the  outer  door  is  Judge  Blodgett  with  Mr. 
Am with  your  future  husband.  Things  will  oc- 
cur of  which  you  should  know,  and  which  can  not  take 
place  if  they  know  you  are  here.  It  will  be  most 
honorable  for  you  to  stay.  Remain  here  and  note  well 
what  happens,  and  you  will  get  much  light  on  your 
troubles,  and  on  his  —  of  some  of  vhich  you  do  not 
yet  know,  which  I  (do  not  understand,  but  which  will 
be  cleared  up.  You  will  say  nothing,  but  watch 
and  listen." 

300 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

Before  Miss  Waldron  could  protest,  the  other  wo- 
man was  gone.  Florian  and  Judge  Blodgett  were 
brought  into  the  middle  room,  and  seated  with  their 
faces  from  the  portiere,  behind  which  Elizabeth  wait- 
ed, wondering  what  she  should  do,  feeling  that  she 
had  the  right  to  know,  and  obedient  to  the  mesmer- 
ist's commands.  Mr.  Amidon  began  in  medias  res, 
too  full  of  grim  determination  for  any  circumlocu- 
tion. 

"  Madame  le  Claire,"  said  he,  "  recently,  as  I  sat 
at  supper,  I  was  notified  that  this  Miss  Scarlett  has 
begun  suit  against  me  for  breach  of  promise." 

"  Yes,"  said  Madame  le  Claire,  "  I  have  heard  of 
it.  It  is  most  unjust." 

Elizabeth,  astounded  at  Amidon's  statement,  heard 
her  new  friend's  reply  as  some  far-off  note  of  succor 
in  doubtful  and  deadly  battle.  She  sat  close,  now, 
and  listened. 

"  Ever  since  I  came  to  myself,"  went  on  Amidon, 
"  and  through  your  wonderful  power  found  out 
about  this  life  of  mine  here  in  Bellevale,  the  name 
of  Miss  Scarlett  has  come  up  from  time  to  time  as 
connected  with  it.  I  have  always  shrunk  from  hav- 
ing you  find  out  just  what  our  —  relations  —  have 
been,  and  the  whole  thing  has  been  dark  to  me  — 

301 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

dark  and  forbidding.  What  wrong  I  —  this  man 
Brassfield  —  may  have  done  her,  I  can  not  know 
without  your  aid.  I  must  know  this,  now.  If  she 
has  been  wronged,  she  shall  have  reparation,  as  full 
as  I  can  give." 

"  What  do  you  mean,"  said  Madame  le  Claire  — 
and  Elizabeth  held  her  breath  — "  by  full  repara- 
tion?" 

"  First  let  us  know  the  wrong !  If  that  exists, 
the  reparation  will  be  for  Miss  Scarlett  and  her  ad- 
visers to  name." 

"  But  they  may  name  the  keeping  of  the  promise 
they  say  you  have  made !  " 

"  I  have  thought  that  all  over." 

"  But  your  engagement  to " 

"  The  lady  you  are  about  to  mention,"  said  Ami- 
don,  "must  have  ceased  to  care  much  for  me,  after 
what  I  am  told  took  place  the  other  night;  and  when 
she  learns  of  this  other  disgrace,  as  she  must  be- 
fore she  sees  me  again  —  if  she  ever  does  —  it  will 
be  all  over  —  for  ever  —  except  the  wrong  to  her 
—  for  which  reparation  can  never  be  made.  I " 

"  Oh,  it  is  too  dreadful !  "  cried  Madame  le  Claire. 
"And  for  that  worst  thing  —  the  other  night  — 
I  only  am  to  blame!  I  put  into  you  the  character 

302 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

in  which  you  have  become  weak  and  drawn  aside  by 
suggestions  not  natural  to  your  own  character.  Can 
you  ever  forgive  me?  " 

"  I  have  never  thought  of  blaming  you ! "  he  pro- 
tested. "You?  Why,  no  one  ever  had  so  good  a 
friend;  all  the  chance  I  have  had  to  win  happiness 
here,  you  gave  me.  I  have  lost  that  —  by  misfor- 
tune. Now  help  me  to  make  things  as  near  right 
as  I  can.  Put  me  back  into  the  world  of  Brass- 
field,  and  let  me  know  the  worst  that  I — he — has 
done." 

"  Coom  een ! "  said  the  voice  of  the  professor  in 
the  corridor.  "  Coom  een !  Clara  iss  not  here  now : 
den  she  must  be  someveres.  Pe  bleaced  to  sit  vile  I 
look.  Anyhow,  she  vill  soon  return.  Ach,  Herr 
Cox,  ve  missed  you  creatly  .TO  our  supper  —  eatings 
of  reasons  and  sdreams  of  souls!  Ach!  Here  iss 
our  friendt  te  chutche,  ant  Hcrr  Amidon  —  Brass- 
field,  I  mean ! " 

Madame  le  Claire  appeared  in  the  archway. 

"  Ah,  Miss  Scarlett,"  said  she,  "  you  are  early. 
May  I  ask  you  to  return,  in  — 

"  No ! "  It  was  the  voice  of  Miss  Scarlett  which 
replied.  "  No,  I'm  not  going !  And  if  'Gene  Brass- 
field  is  in  there,  Bill}'  Cox  has  something  to  say 

303 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

to  him.  Here,  Mr.  Alvord,  you  come  in,  too;  he's 
out  there  hunting  for  'Gene.  Billy,  do  your  duty 
now!" 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Mr.  Cox,  advancing  into  the 
next  room,  followed  by  Miss  Scarlett.  "  Pardon  me, 
Judge  Blodgett,  I  have  a  few  words  for  you  and 
your  client.  Miss  Scarlett  has  made  me  agree  to 
apologize  to  Mr.  Brassfield  about  that  summons ;  and 
if  'Gene  Brassfield  thinks  I  owe  him  any  apology  for 
putting  it  on  to  him  a  little  before  his  out-of-town 
friends,  I'll  make  it.  But  here  are  the  facts,  and 
he  knows  it:  for  four  years  he's  been  rawhiding  me 
at  every  chance  with  his  practical  jokes.  He 
had  me  arrested  and  detained  for  a  whole  day  on 
fake  telegrams  at  Wilkesbarre,  only  last  fall;  and 
just  before  that  he  got  everybody  at  the  Springs  to 
thinking  I  was  Tascott,  and  induced  a  rural  con- 
stable to  take  me  into  custody.  Why,  Alvord  here 
in  his  worst  estate  hasn't  been  as  bad  as  he's  been. 
If  he's  lost  any  opportunity,  I  don't  remember  it; 
and,  of  course,  I've  got  back  once  in  a  while,  and 
may  be  about  even.  But  everything  has  been  good- 
natured  and  brotherly,  as  ought  to  be  between  mem- 
bers of  the  gang.  And,  of  course,  when  the  can- 
non-crackers began  to  go  off  that  night,  I  knew 

304 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

he  was  doing  it.  I  was  over  in  Major  Pumphrey's 
parlor,  where  Daisy  had  invited  me,  during  the  erup- 
tion, and  I  told  her  about  these  things,  and  wished 
for  some  way  of  getting  even,  and  —  and  some  one 
spoke  of  this  breach  of  promise  suit,  and  we  —  that 
is,  I  —  got  up  the  summons,  and  I  told  Ed  Tootle 
to  serve  it  on  you  at  your  orgy  —  you  had  no  bus- 
iness to  expect  me  to  enter  any  free-for-all  inebriates' 
competition  —  you  know  that,  'Gene !  It  may  have 
been  a  little  extreme  as  a  joke;  but  if  you'd  laughed 
it  off  as  you  always  do,  nobody  would  have  thought 
anything  of  it  except  to  chaff  you  about  it.  But 
what  do  you  do?  You  make  as  serious  a  thing  of 
it  as  if  you  hadn't  been  trotting  with  our  crowd  for 
five  years  or  so.  You  set  this  old  —  my  learned 
friend  from  the  West  —  briefing  it  up,  and  you  make 
a  fool  of  me.  Worse  than  that,  you  place  Daisy 
in  a  most  objectionable  position;  and,  by  George, 
'Gene,  I  claim  the  apology  is  due  from  you,  to  me 
and  Daisy !  " 

That  he,  Florian  Amidon,  had  ever  been  guilty 
of  playing  such  pranks  as  the  ones  described  by  Mr. 
Cox,  seemed  incredible;  but  his  sense  of  relief  at 
the  way  his  burden  rolled  away  in  the  light  of  Cox's 
indignant  apology  overcame  all  other  sensations. 

305 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

He  sprang  forward  to  offer  his  hand  cordially  to  Mr. 
Cox. 

"  I  agree  with  you !  "  said  he.  "  I  do  owe  you  an 
apology,  and  I  freely  offer  it.  As  for  the  offense 
I  have  given  Miss  Scarlett,  I  can  only  say  that  I 
have  had  a  very  strange  mental  experience  lately,  of 
which  my  friends  here  can  tell  you,  or  I  should  never 
have  —  never  have  taken  the  matter  —  as  I  did.  I 
beg  you  both  to  forgive  me ! " 

"  'Gene,"  said  Miss  Scarlett,  offering  her  hand, 
"  I'm  too  game  a  sport  to  go  mourning  because  I 
lost  out,  and  you  ought  to  have  known  —  I  declare, 
I  believe  you've  been  crazy!  I  told  Billy  —  Billy 
and  I  are  engaged,  now,  and  are  really  going  to  be 
married  —  I  told  Billy  how,  when  we  were  at  the 
watering-place,  I  insisted  that  it  seemed  a  shame  not 
to  be  engaged,  and  how  we  fixed  it  to  be  engaged 
for  a  week,  and  it  made  him  furious!  But  as  good 
a  fellow  as  I've  been,  the  way  you  took  our  joke 
was  shabby/  You  people  may  know  some  good  ex- 
cuse, but " 

Madame  le  Claire  was  not  only  a  diplomat :  she  was 
a  strategist.  Now,  she  saw,  was  the  supreme  moment 
in  which  to  complete  for  Florian  the  good  work  she 
had  begun. 

306 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

"  Please  excuse  Mr.  Brassfield,"  said  she.  "  He  is 
wanted  in  the  back  parlor;  come,  Mr.  Brassfield,  give 
me  your  arm !  " 

Through  the  portiere  she  swept,  bearing  Amidon 
as  on  wings.  There  sat  Elizabeth,  her  face  bowed 
down  upon  her  arms,  on  the  back  of  a  sofa.  She 
rose  as  they  entered. 

"  Elizabeth !  "  cried  Florian.     "  My  darling !  " 

He  stretched  out  his  hands  pleadingly,  and  walk- 
ed toward  her.  She  shrank  back;  and  Madame  le 
Claire  retreated,  knowing  that  the  struggle  of  Ami- 
don's  life  was  before  him. 

Yet,  gentle  reader,  why  should  not  Amidon  win? 
To  us,  a  thousand  things  might  seem  to  need  ex- 
planation; but  to  Elizabeth,  all  this  separation  of 
Amidon  from  Brassfield  was  so  new,  so  little  realized, 
that  her  love  bridged  the  chasm,  and  nothing  was 
required  except  the  clearing  up  of  a  week  or  two  of 
curious  happenings,  most  of  which  had  already  been 
so  glozed  over  by  Madame  le  Claire's  generous  plea, 
that  what  girl  in  love  would  require  any  greater  price 
in  humble  wooing  than  Florian  yearned  to  pay? 
Why,  mesmerism  alone  covers  all  sorts  of  odd  and  sus- 
picious doings.  The  case,  for  instance,  of • 

But  that  is  beside  the  point.  The  point  is,  that 

307 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

with  half  of  Brassfield's  skill,  Amidon  will  win  hand- 
somely.  Some  scenes  ought  not  to  be  painted  —  in 
this  plain  and  flippant  prose.  Let  us  wait,  therefore, 
until  the  arrival  of  the  voices  of  Florian  and  Elizabeth 
at  the  pitch  of  ordinary  conversation  admonishes  us 
that  the  prose  writer's  psychological  moment  has  ar- 
rived. Then  we  may  take  and  transcribe  some  notes. 

"  Of  course,"  Florian  said,  "  he  must  have  had 
some  redeeming  traits  —  superficially,  or  you  would 
never  have  cared  for  him " 

"  Oh,  don't  say  such  things ! "  she  protested. 
"  Your  real,  real  self  came  uppermost,  I  am  sure,  in 
your  behavior  to  me.  You  were  perfectly  lovely, 
even  if  you  didn't  understand  me  as  I  wanted  you 
to  do  —  as  you  do  now." 

"  Dearest !  "  he  whispered.  "  You  never  loved  him 
as  you  do  me,  did  you?  " 

That  little  laugh  that  first  charmed  him  filled  the 
pause. 

"  Don't  say  '  him ! »  "  she  commanded.  "  Think  of 
the  original  absurdity  of  being  jealous  of  a  rival, 
and  that  rival  yourself !  And  remember  that  *  he ' 
was  my  sweetheart,  and  for  my  own  sake,  don't 
abuse  him.  Why,  it  was  you  all  the  time;  and  I 
always  felt,  even  at  the  worst,  that  hidden  in  the 

308 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

Brassfield  personality  was  the  one  man  for  me  in  all 
the  world.  It  was  this  woman's  instinct,  that  men 
never  believe  in,  and  the  girl's  eyesight.  I  look  at 
you,  and  I  know  you  are  the  same.  Don't  slander 
yourself  as  you  appeared  in  your  other  mental 
clothes.  I  won't  have  it  —  but  don't  change  back, 
dear!" 

"  But  really,"  said  Elizabeth,  "  is  it  necessary 
for  us  to  live  in  Bellevale?  " 

"  Would  you  go  away  —  with  me?  " 

There  was  a  silence  here,  during  which  some- 
thing seemed  to  take  place  which  removed  the  neces- 
sity of  answer;  for  surely,  Elizabeth  would  not  have 
allowed  this  question  to  go  unanswered  otherwise. 

"  Oh,"  said  she,  "  there  are  more  places  I  want  to 
go,  and  more  things  I  want  to  see  and  study  —  you 
never  would  believe  it!  It  will  take  years  and 
years." 

"  Well,  why  not?  "  answered  Florian.  "  «  Whether 
in  Naishapur  or  Babylon',  I  want  to  go  to  every 
one  of  those  places  myself  —  and  always  have.  We 
won't  build  that  house.  We'll  have  Blodgett  stay 
and  look  after  the  closing  up  of  the  business  here 
by  Stevens.  We'll  run  out  home  so  I  can  say  hail 

309 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

and  farewell  to  Jennie  and  greet  my  new  nephews 
and  nieces  there,  and  then,  ho!  for  Japan  and  India 
and  the  East,  on  our  way  to  those  high  places  where 
you  want  to  erect  your  idolatrous  altars.  Elizabeth! 
Do  you  realize  what  a  Paradise  we're  planning?  " 

"  There !  "  she  said  quaveringly.  "  I  knew  it  was 
too  perfect  to  be  true,  and  that  we'd  find  some  ob- 
stacle, and  I've  found  it!  That  miserable  office 
you'll  have  to  fill!" 

Chillingly  the  wet  blanket  descended  on  their 
fervid  joy,  and  they  looked  at  each  other  in  con- 
sternation. This  public  call  on  Mr.  Brassfield  now 
became  an  incubus  to  Mr.  Amidon,  pinning  him 
to  earth  as  he  essayed  to  rise  and  fly.  Gradually,  as 
he  looked  fondly  in  his  lady-love's  face,  the  hope 
dawned  in  his  heart  that  perhaps  her  desire  that  he 
should  have  a  "  career  "  might  not  be  much  greater 
than  his. 

"  Dear,"  said  he  at  last,  "  would  you  feel  very 
sorely  disappointed  if  we  were  to  give  it  up  —  the 
state  and  national  capital  life,  and  all  that  ?  " 

"  I  disappointed !  "  exclaimed  she.  "  Why,  could 
you  bring  yourself  to  give  them  up?  I  hate  to  say 
it  —  but  —  I  just  detest  the  whole  thing!" 

"  So  do  I ! "  said  Amidon. 
310 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

They  wondered  in  the  next  room  what  could  have 
excited  so  much  hilarity. 

"  What  a  beginning !  "  said  Elizabeth.  "  To  start 
out  in  our  life  with  such  a  mutual  deception!  But 
I  wanted  to  have  a  part  in  your  life,  whatever  it 
might  be;  and  I  could  organize  Primrose  Leagues, 
and  succeed  in  them,  if  it  were  necessary  to  help  in 
any  ambition  of  yours.  So  there!  Oh,  it  was  silly 
to  write  in  that  way  —  but  you  really  seemed  at  that 
time-  -" 

"  I  never  did,  my  dear !  It  was  that  Brassfield ; 
and  when  I  was  caught  and  restored  by  Madame  le 
Claire,  I  should  have  declined  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
the  —  the  Washington  career,  you  know 

"  Oh,  please  don't  say  any  more  — 

"  And  I  had  Blodgett  get  up  a  letter  of  with- 
drawal   " 

"  Do  you  suppose  he  has  it  yet? "  she  cried. 
"  *  Letter  of  withdrawal ! '  It  sounds  so  sort  of  par- 
liamentary and  correct  and  comforting !  " 

"  It  does,"  agreed  Amidon,  "  especially  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  I  believe  I'm  beaten  anyhow.  Judge 
Blodgett  thinks  I  am,  and  Mr.  Alvord  — 

"  Poor  Jim  Alvord !  "  interposed  Elizabeth.  "  His 
wife  says  he  would  desert  his  family  for  you." 

311 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  For  Brassfield,  she  means,"  said  Amidon.  "  It 
is  really  not  the  same  thing,  dear.  But  I  was  say- 
ing that  even  he  half  confesses  defeat.  I've  made 
an  awful  mess  of  this  thing,  Elizabeth,  on  account  of 
not  really  knowing  anything  of  the  people  or  their 
opinions  or  desires.  Even  that  platform  of  ours 
couldn't  pull  us  through.  No  wisdom  —  and  I 
haven't  much  —  could  keep  a  man  from  making 
blunders  when  he  went  out  to  do  things  for  himself, 
knowing  nothing  of  the  situation  except  what  he  got 
from  his  inner  consciousness,  and  from  what  he  was 
told.  A  political  situation  is  too  delicately  balanced 
for  that.  If  I  had  done  nothing,  I  should  have  re- 
mained undeservedly  popular  and  reaped  the  reward 
of  Brassfield's  cunning  and  hypocrisy  —  don't  stop 
me,  please!  But  you  and  I  tried  to  impose  right- 
eousness on  the  people  from  the  outside  and  above. 
It  never  comes  in  that  way,  but  always  from  the  in- 
side and  below,  like  lilies  from  the  mud.  I'm  really 
a  most  unpopular  man,  opposed  by  most  of  the  '  good 
citizens '  and  all  of  the  bad  except  a  few  who  still 
believe  me  dishonest,  and  will  desert  me  as  soon  as 
their  fellows  can  convince  them  that  I'm  sincere  — 
isn't  it  a  pretty  plot!  Facing  defeat  because  of  my 
advocacy  of  principles  everybody  concedes  to  be 

312 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

right,  because  I'm  suspected  of  an  actual  intention 
to  act  according  to  my  platform  pledge;  when  that 
man  Brassfield,  who  was  preparing  to  carry  out  a 
policy  of  selfish  spoliation,  could  have  carried  every 
precinct ! " 

"  It  does  me  so  much  good,"  she  said,  "  to  see  you 
in  such  a  glow  of  indignation,  that  I  allowed  you  to 
go  on  with  that  unjust  condemnation  of  my  Eugene. 
Well,  then,  it  seems  my  noble  platform  actually 
ruined  you.  How  nasty  of  the  people!  Can't  we 
elope  —  run  away  —  and  never  come  back,  or  look 
at  a  paper  or  think  of  it  again?  Or  shall  we  use 
Judge  Blodgett's  letter  of  withdrawal  —  bless  him !  " 

Something  —  perhaps  it  was  the  elopement  pro- 
posal—  induced  eventualities  which  delayed  the  con- 
versation again  for  some  minutes. 

"  Let's  go  out,"  said  she,  "  and  ask  him  to  — 
to  do  whatever  they  do  with  letters  of  withdrawal  — 
at  once ! " 

The  room  into  which  Amidon  led  the  shy  Elizabeth 
had  been  a  clearing-house  of  confused  ideas  during 
their  long  tete-sl-tete.  Madame  le  Claire  had  ex- 
plained the  mystery  of  dual  personality  as  well  as  it 
can  be  explained,  with  some  comment  on  the  fact  that 
such  things  happen  to  people  occasionally,  no  one 

313 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

knows  why.  Alvord  and  Judge  Blodgett  agreed  that 
the  candidate  for  mayor  should  be  withdrawn.  Al- 
vord even  raised  the  question  as  to  whether,  the  nom- 
ination papers  being  issued  to  Brassfield,  Amidon 
could  be  legally  elected.  Judge  Blodgett  said  it 
raised  the  finest  legal  question  he  ever  had  encoun- 
tered, and  if  carried  up  would  be  a  case  of  first  im- 
pression in  the  world's  jurisprudence.  Alvord 
assented  to  this  without  argument. 

Then  Le  Claire  told  them  of  Amidon's  life  in  his 
old  home  as  she  had  learned  of  it,  of  his  bewildered 
application  to  her  in  New  York,  and  how  he  had 
been  helped.  She  was  a  long  time  telling  it,  and  all 
the  while  she  was  thinking  of  the  tender  things  hap- 
pening in  the  next  room.  She  heard  the  murmuring 
of  their  voices,  as  full  of  meaning  as  the  flutings  of 
mating  birds.  And  she  faltered  and  stopped. 

"  Papa,  papa ! "  she  cried,  "  help  me  out !  Tell 
them  the  rest." 

"  You  vill  vonder,  berhaps,"  said  the  professor, 
"  at  sairtain  egsentricities  of  gonduct  of  our  friendt, 
in  his  later  Brassfield  phace,  in  vitch  he  has  shown  de 
kvality  of  sportiness  —  or  sportif  —  vat  iss  de 
vort?  " 

"  Sportiness,"  said  Miss  Scarlett,  "  is  the  word." 
314 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

"  T'anks !  "  said  the  professor.  "  VeU,  de  egsbla- 
nation  is  dus:  te  Brassfield  state  vas  vun  of  gontinu- 
ous  self-hypnotismus.  It  iss  apnormal.  Its  shief 
garacteristic  is  suchestibility.  Now,  if  ve  find  dat 
te  supchect  hass  been  frown  into  de  society  of  people 
of  —  vat  you  gall?  —  sporty  tendencies,  he  vould 
gradually  yield  to  te  suchestion  of  dese  tendencies. 
He  vould " 

"  I  am  glad  I  heard  that,"  said  Elizabeth.  "  We 
must  not  allow  you  to  return  to  this  abnormal  state !  " 

"  Mr.  Cox,"  said  Judge  Blodgett,  "  do  we  need 
a  detective  to  run  this  sporty  influence  down?  or 
shall  we  look  among  the  Christian  Martyrs?  " 

"  It  will  relieve  me,"  said  Miss  Scarlett,  hugging 
Mr.  Cox's  arm,  "  if  you  won't  look.  I'm  afraid  to 
be  searched ! " 

Elizabeth  and  Florian  appeared  in  the  archway. 
Her  eyes  were  shining  with  the  soft  radiance  which, 
like  the  flush  of  dawn,  comes  only  once  in  the  day's 
journey,  and  never  returns.  His  sought  her  face 
in  a  worship  that  she  would  never  have  seen  had 
Eugene  Brassfield  looked  out  from  them. 

"  I  am  taking  Miss  Waldron  home,"  said  Mr. 
Amidon.  "  Matters  have  just  taken  such  a  turn  that 
I  shall  leave  soon  for  my  former  home  in  Wisconsin, 

315 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

where  I  have  large  interests,  and  I  may  not  be  able  to 
return.  Such  being  the  case,  we  do  not  feel  that  it 
would  be  just  to  the  people  of  this  city  to  continue 
in  the  position  of  a  candidate  for  public  office,  and 
—  pshaw!  why  not  be  honest?  We're  beaten,  and 
we  don't  want  the  office,  anyhow.  Judge,  have  you 
that  letter  of  withdrawal  convenient?  " 

"  I  have,"  said  the  judge.  "  I  figured  all  the  time 
that  you'd  need  it." 

"Thanks!"  said  Amidon.  "Take  it,  Mr.  Al- 
vord,  and  give  it  to  the  world  at  large.  You  under- 
stand, do  you  not,  the  peculiar  change  of  personality 
which  makes  it  improper ?  " 

"  Sure,"  said  Alvord.  "  The  man  who  put  out 
that  platform  of  ours  can't  afford  to  be  caught  short- 
changing the  public  by  switching  candidates  on  them 
on  the  eve  of  election.  And  right  here  let  me  say, 
that  be  it  Amidon  or  Brassfield,  the  ties  of  brother- 
hood still  hold  with  Jim  Alvord,  in  F.  D.  and  B.,  and 
I  hate  to  use  this  letter.  I  believe  still  we  could  pull 
through,  with  proper  management  from  now  on,  and, 
confound  it!  I'd  rather  be  licked  with  you  than  to 
win  with  any  other  man  on  earth ! " 

"  In  all  phases  of  my  life,"  said  Amidon,  grasping 
the  little  man's  hand  warmly,  "  I'm  going  to  take  the 

316 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

liberty  of  holding  you  as  my  friend.  I  know  faith- 
fulness and  unselfishness  when  I  see  it,  no  matter  if 
I  don't  quite  fall  in  with  its  methods." 

Alvord's  eyes  filled,  as  his  emotions  rose  with  the 
parting.  Yet  he  could  not  allow  his  methods  to  be 
questioned  even  by  implication. 

"  Well,  now,  as  to  methods,"  he  began,  "  theoret- 
ically you  may  be  right  about  publicity  and  that  plat- 
form, but  practically  —  well,  let's  forget  it !  But, 
'Gene  —  or  whatever  your  damned  name  is !  —  don't 
forget  me !  Good-by !  " 

The  judge,  the  professor,  Miss  Scarlett,  and  all 
the  rest  had  gone  on  their  various  ways,  and  Madame 
le  Claire  was  in  one  of  the  inner  rooms  attended  by 
Aaron,  whom  siie  had  summoned. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  adopt  poor  Jim's  language 
yet,"  said  Elizabeth,  when  she  and  Florian  were  again 
left  alone.  "  *  Florian,  Florian ! ' —  I  like  that  name. 
But  think  how  hard  it  was  to  learn  to  call  you 
*  Eugene.'  Do  you  remember  where  we  were  when  I 
first  called  you  that?  " 

"  Don't  you  realize,  dearie,"  said  he,  "  that  I  know 
nothing  of  all  that?  And  except  for  your  sweet  let- 
ter, I  Knew  nothing  of  you  before  that  'day  when  I 
came  from  New  York  ?  " 

317 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  O h !  "  she  cried.     "  And  all  the  lovely  things 

you  did  to  win  me Oh,  dear,  I  never  thought 

of  that.  And  you  remember  nothing  —  nothing  at 
all?  Oh,  it  is  dreadful,  dreadful!  No  wonder  I 
almost  hated  you  that  night ! " 

He  put  his  arm  about  her  and  kissed  her  linger- 
ingly. 

"  Dearest !  Sweetheart !  "  he  said.  "  The  loss  is 
all  mine!  And  to  make  up  for  it,  you  must  let  me 
do  them  all  over  again  —  every  one,  a  thousand 
times.  Come,  let  us  go !  " 

At  the  door,  she  stopped  and  turned  back. 

"  I  must  see  Madame  le  Claire,"  said  she. 

Already  the  rooms  were  filled  with  the  disorder  of 
packing,  and  Aaron  was  busy  preparing  for  one  of 
their  Arab-like  Sittings.  Madame  le  Claire  stood 
looking  down  into  the  street. 

"  Are  you  leaving  Bellevale?  "  said  Miss  Waldron. 

"  On  the  next  train,"  answered  the  hypnotist. 
"  Our  tour  has  been  a  long  time  delayed." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Elizabeth,  "  that  we  shall  see  you 
again  some  time." 

"  It  is  quite  probable,"  said  Clara.  "  We  are 
wanderers,  and  public  characters.  Almost  everybody 
sees  us  from  time  to  time  —  if  they  desire." 

318 


THE  MOVING  FINGER  WRITES 

"  I'm  not  going  to  leave  you  this  way,"  said  Eliz- 
abeth, with  hurried  obscurity  of  expression.  "  You 
have  done  for  me  more  —  much  more  —  than  —  than 
I  can  say ;  but  you  know,  you  know !  " 

"  I  know  you  would  do  as  much  for  me ! " 

"  No,  no !  "  exclaimed  Elizabeth.  "  I  never  would. 
I'm  not  good  enough.  I'm  going  away  now,  to  be 
very,  very  happy,  and  I  want  you  to  see  —  to  know 
-  how  I  feel  toward  you  —  oh,  oh,  I  can't  say  what 
I  mean !  But  some  time,  when  you  get  settled  down 
from  the  agitations  we've  had,  after  a  long  time, 
write  and  tell  me  that  you're  happy,  won't  you  ?  " 

She  had  put  her  arm  around  the  slender  waist,  and 
faced  Madame  le  Claire,  gazing  at  her  intently.  Le 
Claire  kissed  her  forehead,  and  looked  long,  with  the 
varicolored  eyes,  into  those  of  Elizabeth.  She  seemed 
to  speak  in  that  way,  as  an  easier  mode  of  communica- 
tion at  this  time  than  by  the  words  which  would  not 
come  in  any  adequate  form.  So  the  two  girls  stood 
as  Professor  Blatherwick  came  in  and  noticed  the 
labors  of  Aaron. 

"  Packing,  Clara  ?  "  said  he.  "  Veil,  vere  shall  ve 
vork  te  hypot'esis  ant  te  bublic  next  ?  I  shall  pe  glad 
vunce  more  to  hit  te  pike.  Dis  gase,  vile  supliminally 
great  stuff,  is  pretty  veil  vorked  out :  not  ?  " 

319 


DOUBLE  TROUBLE 

"  Quite  worked  out,"  said  Clara,  "  to  the  end ;  in- 
deed, indeed,  it  is  completely  worked  out ! " 

Elizabeth's  arm  tightened  about  her  waist,  and 
Elizabeth's  breath  was  caught  in  a  quick  little  sigh. 
Madame  le  Claire  replied  to  these  inarticulate  ex- 
pressions of  sympathy  as  if  they  had  been  words. 

"  Don't  think  that ! "  said  she,  looking  Elizabeth 
again  steadily  in  the  face.  "  Don't  let  that  haunt 
your  mind  in  this  new  life  of  yours;  for  it  will  not 
be  so.  Let  us  be  friends  though  we  never  meet.  Yes, 
I  will  write  to  you;  but  it  will  not  be  necessary. 
Whenever  you  think  of  me,  this  is  what  you  will 
think,  because  I  command  it:  '  She  is  busy  with  her 
wandering  life.  New  things  are  dimming  the  mem- 
ory of  me  —  and  mine.  She  has  found  the  love  her 
soul  covets.  She  is  happy ! '  " 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


iC'O  LD-URL 
2  WEEK     AIJG  04,1 

NON-REN 


NOV  6  2 

DUE  I  WKS  HUH  uit  fc 

REC'D  LD-UR 


DEC  0  4 


A    000  046  524     5 


8 


